I.B.7. The institution regularly evaluates its policies and practices across all areas of the institution, including instructional programs, student and learning support services, supporting academic quality and accomplishments of mission.
The changes made at the College to comply with this standard were guided by Recommendation 1, 2, 3.
Policy 1003 governs the process for approving and implementing board policy and college regulations and procedures.1 Policy 1003.1 allows for any employee in the college to propose college regulations via a supervisor. Such proposals must follow the appropriate lines of authority as defined in the college’s organizational chart.2 Policy 1004 commits ASCC to: “planning, assessment, and continuous improvement by implementing a cyclical and participative process that meets the institutional effectiveness and achievement standards required by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).”
In the Participatory Governance Structure Manual, constituent roles in governance and decision-making are explained. All ASCC constituents are at liberty to provide recommendations to the President that have or will have a significant effect on them as well as the processes for developing those recommendations.3 This includes policies and practices for evaluation across all areas of the institution and the roles decision-making groups.4 There are three groups listed which include Governance groups (Leadership Triangle and Accreditation Steering Committee), Operational groups (Leadership Team, Curriculum Committee, Academic Assessment Committee and Data Committee), and Task Force groups which are formed to create a venue for dialogue and work on topics that require timely and concentrated energy. All three groups have separate functions but group membership may overlap within the groups because of their designated roles within the institution. The roles and responsibilities of these groups is to ensure that the College defines, implements, monitors, assesses, and evaluates the achievement of ASCC’s Mission Statement through:
- Institutional Program Review;
- Institutional Assessment of Student Learning Programs and Services; and
- Institutional Planning.
The College continues to actively review its plan for effectiveness using its planning Task Force Groups. There is a designated review committee for each of the focus areas in the 2015-2020 ISP. These review committees were also tasked to address ACCJC recommendations and in doing so were able to identify gaps in processes, policies and practices which moved the college forward in addressing those areas and achieving some of the goals of ISP. For example, the Academic Excellence subcommittee facilitated in the development of Student Achievement Standards that imposed standards which will measure how well the college is achieving goal one in the Academic Excellence plan which states “ASCC will enhance and deliver innovative, effective education and support program to facilitate Student Academic Success” and support the part of the mission which states “The mission of the American Samoa Community College is to foster successful student learning by providing high quality educational programs and services that will enable students to achieve their goals.”
1 - Policy 1003 College Regulations/Procedures
2 - Policy 1003.1 College Regulations/Procedures
3 - Participatory Governance Structural Manual, pp.13-15
4 - Participatory Governance Structural Manual, pp.16-20