Reaffirmation 2014
Issue 1: September 2012
In this issue:
Reaffirmation 2014
Planning for SACSCOC Accreditation
Reaffirmation Update Timeline for Reaffirmation
» The QEP and Alphabet Soup for Academics By: Angela Browning & Kathleen Ciez-Volz Like alphabet soup for academics, acronyms abound in higher education…IE…QEP…SACS-COC…SLO… At Florida State College at Jacksonville alone, we have enough acronyms to puzzle even the most erudite of educators. Yet when decoded, such acronyms stand for the College’s commitment to continuous quality enhancement in instruction as well as educational support and administrative services.
offer our students. Our first QEP launched in 2004 (Project Renaissance) sought to address the needs of developmental students. In our new study, we focus on the number of college-ready, first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who fail to complete a college degree.
SACSCOC requires that all institutions design and implement a plan to improve the quality of student learning and/or the student-learning environment. Each SACSCOC-accredited school is required to identify an area of need and address that area with a plan to be implemented and assessed over a five-year period. The QEP must have a focused topic, clear goals, well-defined assessment strategies, and appropriate resources to support the plan, as well as the involvement of the College community.
The College began the QEP process by forming a Topic Selection Committee comprised of full-time faculty members, student success staff members, and administrators from all areas and representing all College campuses. This group conducted focus groups and administered surveys to identify areas of concern. After sharing the responses with the Cabinet, who further reviewed College data as well as white papers from members of the College community, we uncovered an unsettling trend. The percentage of collegeready, FTIC students not completing their education is on the rise. Therefore, the President and President’s Cabinet chose the success and completition of college-ready, FTIC students as the focus of the College’s QEP.
While a required part of the reaffirmation process, our QEP is also an opportunity for the College to identify areas of student learning that need improvement and explore new ways to bolster the quality of education and services we
By the end of the spring 2012 semester a Development Team began to design the plan that will become the QEP. The initial research revealed that many risk factors unrelated to academic ability affect student success. Even if students test
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) represents an essential component of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools — Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation and reaffirmation process.
The QEP and Alphabet Soup for Academics continued from page 1 into college-level classes, they may have qualities that make them “at-risk.” They may be returning to school after a period of academic inactivity, working more than 12 hours a week, attending school part-time, or having funding difficulties. Inversely, our in-house data on the qualities of successful students reveal that those who successfully complete ENC 1101 in the first 12 hours are more likely to graduate. This research led to the drafting of three student learning outcomes to anchor the QEP: 1. Students will effectively demonstrate the use of writing as a process to promote learning and student success across the disciplines. 2. Students will demonstrate awareness of degree completion requirements by developing and implementing a written academic plan in their first 12 hours of enrollment.
“In our new study, we focus on the diminishing number of college-ready, first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who complete a college degree.”
»
3. Students will effectively engage in educationally purposeful activities in order to achieve their academic goals. The QEP Development Team is now in the process of researching best practices, identifying possible initiatives, and planning assessment measures for the aforementioned student learning outcomes. We are also searching for ways to effectively communicate our progress to the College community to provide an opportunity for feedback and improvement of the QEP. This newsletter is part of that effort at broader communication. The Quality Enhancement Plan is a reflection of Florida State College at Jacksonville’s commitment to continuous quality improvement of student learning and the student learning environment. In the alphabet soup of academics, QEP ultimately stands for student success.
QEP Development Team
Judy Bilsky
Vice President and Provost (Co-Chair)
Angela Browning Professor, Communications, North Campus (Co-Chair) Lynne Crosby
Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation (Co-Chair)
Career Education/ Workforce Faculty
Carolyn Keister, Nursing
Communications Faculty
Laura Jeffries, South Campus
Rachel Davis, Kent Campus
General Education Faculty
J.R. Woodward, Kent Campus
Mathematics Faculty
Amanda Nunley, South Campus Matt Mitchell, Downtown Campus Tracey Coughenour, Kent Campus/Cecil Center
Collegewide Data Reporting, Student Analytics & Research
Theresa Lott, IT Greg Michalski, District
Dean of Liberal Arts/Sciences
Meg Clark, South Campus
Associate VP Academic Foundations
Kathleen Ciez-Volz, District
Library/Learning Commons
Michael Turnquist, Kent Campus
Open Campus
Jose Fierro, Academic Dean
Student Success
Luther Buie, North Campus Amy Perkins, Downtown Campus Kim Hardy, District
» Timeline for Reaffirmation January–December
Reaffirmation leadership team attends SACSCOC orientation
Compliance certification report written and supported with evidence
2013
2012
January
March Compliance certification report submitted to SACSCOC
The Foundations of Compliance By: Holly Masturzo The reaccreditation process develops over several academic semesters and consists of five major components. The College submits separately two substantial documents, the Compliance Certificate and the Quality Enhancement Plan, months ahead of the visit of any SACSCOC representatives. These documents serve as the foundation of a three-stage review by distinct committees of SACSCOC evaluators, including an Off-Site Review (of the Compliance Certificate), an On-Site Review (of the QEP and selected Compliance Certificate items), and a final review by the Commission’s Board of Trustees. Writing the Compliance Certificate is a significant task. The final document aims to demonstrate the scope of the College’s compliance with each of the ninety SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation, from regional standards to federal requirements. To structure and provide oversight to this extensive writing process, the College’s Cabinet formed a working group known as the Compliance Certification Team. In January 2012, this team began to organize a body of college wide experts to draft the hundreds of pages of narratives and appropriate supporting evidence that will make the case for compliance.
»
Compliance Certification Team
Maggie Cabral-Maly Lynne Crosby Betsy Davis Joy Haney Kim Hardy Sheri Litt Holly Masturzo Denise Norris Naomi Sleap Dana Thomas Nancy Yurko Rachelle Wadsworth
Campus President, Kent Campus & Cecil Center Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation (Team Chair) retired Dean of Workforce Web Page Developer Executive Director, Student Success and Learning Engagement Academic Dean, Open Campus Professor, Humanities & English, Kent Campus (outgoing Co-Chair, Institutional Effectiveness Committee) Associate Dean of Library/Learning Commons Project Coordinator, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, North Campus Associate Vice President, Liberal Arts and Sciences Professor of History & Humanities, Kent Campus (outgoing Faculty Senate President)
To date, over sixty employees from every major division of the College have written sections of the compliance certificate. The Compliance Certification Team continues to assist these writers by establishing common terminology, providing formatting guidelines, and encouraging collaboration particularly where SACSCOC standards overlap. The team also works to ensure accuracy and thoroughness of the narratives and educates writers about updates and changes to SACSCOC policies. As drafts of the narratives are uploaded into Xitracs (the accreditation software program that helps organize and store all the narratives and evidence), the team reviews the drafts and makes recommendations for revision before ultimately passing them on to Cabinet for final review. Further, the Compliance Certification Team recommends and supports communication strategies to inform the College community, including Cabinet and governance groups, about the reaffirmation process. The team also may make recommendations for updates and clarifications to college policies and publications based on discrepancies that emerge during revision. After meeting internal review goals, the team will engage several consultants experienced with the SACSCOC reaffirmation process to critique the narratives and provide an outside perspective on the College’s documentation of compliance. The final version of the Compliance Certificate will be submitted to SACSCOC in March 2013. Where are we now?
We are completing and reviewing the Compliance Certificate and developing the QEP.
June–August
october
Off-site peer review of compliance certification report by SACSCOC
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) submitted to SACSCOC
On-site peer review visit by SACSCOC evaluators
2014
March–May
June SACSCOC makes reaffirmation decision
» Focus on a Standard The first SACSCOC Principle of Accreditation serves as an over-arching standard to inform and influence the application and evaluation of all others. 1.1 — The institution operates with integrity in all matters. This principle of integrity is the only SACSCOC principle that does not require a narrative or supporting evidence in the Compliance Certificate, though the college administration must sign a statement that verifies adherence to this central principle. SACSCOC believes: “Integrity in the accreditation process is best understood in the context of peer review, professional judgment by peers of commonly accepted sound academic practice, and the conscientious application of the Principles of Accreditation as mutually agreed upon standards for accreditation.” All aspects of the accreditation process, from writing the Compliance Certificate and developing the QEP to interacting with the Off-Site and On-Site Review committees should be governed by an attention to accuracy, an approach of conscientiousness, and a commitment to candor. Doing so will not only demonstrate compliance with standards but will confirm the College’s dedication to continuous improvement and its respect for other SACSCOC member institutions.
»
Reaffirmation Leadership Team
Steve Wallace
College President
Judith Bilsky
Vice President & Provost
Steve Bowers
Vice President of Administrative Services
All of the Principles of Accreditation may be found on the SACSCOC website: http://www.sacscoc.org/principles.asp.
Lynne Crosby
Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation
SACSCOC requests that the College designate a five member Reaffirmation Leadership Team to function as official liaisons at key points in the reaffirmation process.
Holly Masturzo
Professor, Humanities & English, Kent Campus
For more information about Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Reaffirmation 2014 process, please contact
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation at (904) 361-6222 or email [email protected]. Please visit fscj.edu/ie.
Florida State College at Jacksonville provides equal access to education, employment, programs, services and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religious belief, or marital status. The College Equity Officer has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and may be contacted at [email protected]. Florida State College at Jacksonville is a member of the Florida College System and is not affiliated with any other public or private university or college in Florida or elsewhere. Florida State College is a division of Florida State College at Jacksonville. Florida State College at Jacksonville is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the baccalaureate and associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Florida State College at Jacksonville. The Commission is to be contacted only if there is evidence that appears to support an institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement or standard.
In this issue:
Reaffirmation 2014
Planning for SACSCOC Accreditation
Reaffirmation Update Timeline for Reaffirmation
» The QEP and Alphabet Soup for Academics By: Angela Browning & Kathleen Ciez-Volz Like alphabet soup for academics, acronyms abound in higher education…IE…QEP…SACS-COC…SLO… At Florida State College at Jacksonville alone, we have enough acronyms to puzzle even the most erudite of educators. Yet when decoded, such acronyms stand for the College’s commitment to continuous quality enhancement in instruction as well as educational support and administrative services.
offer our students. Our first QEP launched in 2004 (Project Renaissance) sought to address the needs of developmental students. In our new study, we focus on the number of college-ready, first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who fail to complete a college degree.
SACSCOC requires that all institutions design and implement a plan to improve the quality of student learning and/or the student-learning environment. Each SACSCOC-accredited school is required to identify an area of need and address that area with a plan to be implemented and assessed over a five-year period. The QEP must have a focused topic, clear goals, well-defined assessment strategies, and appropriate resources to support the plan, as well as the involvement of the College community.
The College began the QEP process by forming a Topic Selection Committee comprised of full-time faculty members, student success staff members, and administrators from all areas and representing all College campuses. This group conducted focus groups and administered surveys to identify areas of concern. After sharing the responses with the Cabinet, who further reviewed College data as well as white papers from members of the College community, we uncovered an unsettling trend. The percentage of collegeready, FTIC students not completing their education is on the rise. Therefore, the President and President’s Cabinet chose the success and completition of college-ready, FTIC students as the focus of the College’s QEP.
While a required part of the reaffirmation process, our QEP is also an opportunity for the College to identify areas of student learning that need improvement and explore new ways to bolster the quality of education and services we
By the end of the spring 2012 semester a Development Team began to design the plan that will become the QEP. The initial research revealed that many risk factors unrelated to academic ability affect student success. Even if students test
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) represents an essential component of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools — Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation and reaffirmation process.
The QEP and Alphabet Soup for Academics continued from page 1 into college-level classes, they may have qualities that make them “at-risk.” They may be returning to school after a period of academic inactivity, working more than 12 hours a week, attending school part-time, or having funding difficulties. Inversely, our in-house data on the qualities of successful students reveal that those who successfully complete ENC 1101 in the first 12 hours are more likely to graduate. This research led to the drafting of three student learning outcomes to anchor the QEP: 1. Students will effectively demonstrate the use of writing as a process to promote learning and student success across the disciplines. 2. Students will demonstrate awareness of degree completion requirements by developing and implementing a written academic plan in their first 12 hours of enrollment.
“In our new study, we focus on the diminishing number of college-ready, first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who complete a college degree.”
»
3. Students will effectively engage in educationally purposeful activities in order to achieve their academic goals. The QEP Development Team is now in the process of researching best practices, identifying possible initiatives, and planning assessment measures for the aforementioned student learning outcomes. We are also searching for ways to effectively communicate our progress to the College community to provide an opportunity for feedback and improvement of the QEP. This newsletter is part of that effort at broader communication. The Quality Enhancement Plan is a reflection of Florida State College at Jacksonville’s commitment to continuous quality improvement of student learning and the student learning environment. In the alphabet soup of academics, QEP ultimately stands for student success.
QEP Development Team
Judy Bilsky
Vice President and Provost (Co-Chair)
Angela Browning Professor, Communications, North Campus (Co-Chair) Lynne Crosby
Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation (Co-Chair)
Career Education/ Workforce Faculty
Carolyn Keister, Nursing
Communications Faculty
Laura Jeffries, South Campus
Rachel Davis, Kent Campus
General Education Faculty
J.R. Woodward, Kent Campus
Mathematics Faculty
Amanda Nunley, South Campus Matt Mitchell, Downtown Campus Tracey Coughenour, Kent Campus/Cecil Center
Collegewide Data Reporting, Student Analytics & Research
Theresa Lott, IT Greg Michalski, District
Dean of Liberal Arts/Sciences
Meg Clark, South Campus
Associate VP Academic Foundations
Kathleen Ciez-Volz, District
Library/Learning Commons
Michael Turnquist, Kent Campus
Open Campus
Jose Fierro, Academic Dean
Student Success
Luther Buie, North Campus Amy Perkins, Downtown Campus Kim Hardy, District
» Timeline for Reaffirmation January–December
Reaffirmation leadership team attends SACSCOC orientation
Compliance certification report written and supported with evidence
2013
2012
January
March Compliance certification report submitted to SACSCOC
The Foundations of Compliance By: Holly Masturzo The reaccreditation process develops over several academic semesters and consists of five major components. The College submits separately two substantial documents, the Compliance Certificate and the Quality Enhancement Plan, months ahead of the visit of any SACSCOC representatives. These documents serve as the foundation of a three-stage review by distinct committees of SACSCOC evaluators, including an Off-Site Review (of the Compliance Certificate), an On-Site Review (of the QEP and selected Compliance Certificate items), and a final review by the Commission’s Board of Trustees. Writing the Compliance Certificate is a significant task. The final document aims to demonstrate the scope of the College’s compliance with each of the ninety SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation, from regional standards to federal requirements. To structure and provide oversight to this extensive writing process, the College’s Cabinet formed a working group known as the Compliance Certification Team. In January 2012, this team began to organize a body of college wide experts to draft the hundreds of pages of narratives and appropriate supporting evidence that will make the case for compliance.
»
Compliance Certification Team
Maggie Cabral-Maly Lynne Crosby Betsy Davis Joy Haney Kim Hardy Sheri Litt Holly Masturzo Denise Norris Naomi Sleap Dana Thomas Nancy Yurko Rachelle Wadsworth
Campus President, Kent Campus & Cecil Center Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation (Team Chair) retired Dean of Workforce Web Page Developer Executive Director, Student Success and Learning Engagement Academic Dean, Open Campus Professor, Humanities & English, Kent Campus (outgoing Co-Chair, Institutional Effectiveness Committee) Associate Dean of Library/Learning Commons Project Coordinator, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, North Campus Associate Vice President, Liberal Arts and Sciences Professor of History & Humanities, Kent Campus (outgoing Faculty Senate President)
To date, over sixty employees from every major division of the College have written sections of the compliance certificate. The Compliance Certification Team continues to assist these writers by establishing common terminology, providing formatting guidelines, and encouraging collaboration particularly where SACSCOC standards overlap. The team also works to ensure accuracy and thoroughness of the narratives and educates writers about updates and changes to SACSCOC policies. As drafts of the narratives are uploaded into Xitracs (the accreditation software program that helps organize and store all the narratives and evidence), the team reviews the drafts and makes recommendations for revision before ultimately passing them on to Cabinet for final review. Further, the Compliance Certification Team recommends and supports communication strategies to inform the College community, including Cabinet and governance groups, about the reaffirmation process. The team also may make recommendations for updates and clarifications to college policies and publications based on discrepancies that emerge during revision. After meeting internal review goals, the team will engage several consultants experienced with the SACSCOC reaffirmation process to critique the narratives and provide an outside perspective on the College’s documentation of compliance. The final version of the Compliance Certificate will be submitted to SACSCOC in March 2013. Where are we now?
We are completing and reviewing the Compliance Certificate and developing the QEP.
June–August
october
Off-site peer review of compliance certification report by SACSCOC
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) submitted to SACSCOC
On-site peer review visit by SACSCOC evaluators
2014
March–May
June SACSCOC makes reaffirmation decision
» Focus on a Standard The first SACSCOC Principle of Accreditation serves as an over-arching standard to inform and influence the application and evaluation of all others. 1.1 — The institution operates with integrity in all matters. This principle of integrity is the only SACSCOC principle that does not require a narrative or supporting evidence in the Compliance Certificate, though the college administration must sign a statement that verifies adherence to this central principle. SACSCOC believes: “Integrity in the accreditation process is best understood in the context of peer review, professional judgment by peers of commonly accepted sound academic practice, and the conscientious application of the Principles of Accreditation as mutually agreed upon standards for accreditation.” All aspects of the accreditation process, from writing the Compliance Certificate and developing the QEP to interacting with the Off-Site and On-Site Review committees should be governed by an attention to accuracy, an approach of conscientiousness, and a commitment to candor. Doing so will not only demonstrate compliance with standards but will confirm the College’s dedication to continuous improvement and its respect for other SACSCOC member institutions.
»
Reaffirmation Leadership Team
Steve Wallace
College President
Judith Bilsky
Vice President & Provost
Steve Bowers
Vice President of Administrative Services
All of the Principles of Accreditation may be found on the SACSCOC website: http://www.sacscoc.org/principles.asp.
Lynne Crosby
Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation
SACSCOC requests that the College designate a five member Reaffirmation Leadership Team to function as official liaisons at key points in the reaffirmation process.
Holly Masturzo
Professor, Humanities & English, Kent Campus
For more information about Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Reaffirmation 2014 process, please contact
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation at (904) 361-6222 or email [email protected]. Please visit fscj.edu/ie.
Florida State College at Jacksonville provides equal access to education, employment, programs, services and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religious belief, or marital status. The College Equity Officer has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and may be contacted at [email protected]. Florida State College at Jacksonville is a member of the Florida College System and is not affiliated with any other public or private university or college in Florida or elsewhere. Florida State College is a division of Florida State College at Jacksonville. Florida State College at Jacksonville is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the baccalaureate and associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Florida State College at Jacksonville. The Commission is to be contacted only if there is evidence that appears to support an institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement or standard.
