MATC Matters

Looking at AQIP
Category 8: Planning Continuous Improvement

AQIP has identified nine categories of related key processes that provide a framework for the assessment and improvement of higher education institutions. The eighth category, AQIP Category 8-”Planning Continuous Improvement,” examines the processes, systems and action plans related to achieving the College’s vision. This includes the coordination and alignment of strategies and action plans, measurements and performance projections, resource needs and capabilities, methods of analysis of performance projections and how these efforts can be used to continuously improve.

The Systems Appraisal Team identified key characteristics of the College that are relevant to Category 8, “Planning Continuous Improvement” including:

• The College’s clearly defined mission statement to provide “accessible, high quality learning experiences that serve the community,” our vision of “Transforming Lives: One at a Timeâ€? and our stated values of Excellence, Respect and Integrity.
• The College’s goal to grow by creating clarity and vision, increasing access, responding to market shifts and responding to changing stakeholder expectations.

The measures that define Category 8: Planning Continuous Improvement for the College form the basis for the Balanced Scorecard. The measures used fall generally into three categories: measures that monitor student success, measures that monitor employer and community satisfaction, and measures that monitor MATC’s fiscal accountability. To see the measures as well as how well MATC is doing please view the College Balanced Scorecard.

The Systems Appraisal Team identified many strengths related to “Planning Continuous Improvement.” The following list includes some of the more important strengths identified:

• MATC has a comprehensive planning process that draws input from multiple sources and includes key activities and responsibilities of the Board, College Council and all units. Planning is increasingly driven by data gathered through environmental scans and other methods and incorporates important budget and College-wide plan (i.e., Academic Plan, Enrollment Management Plan, Master Facility Plan, etc.) information.
• MATC has implemented a process by which current data, SWOT and gap analyses are used to establish three-year action plans with annual updates to ensure all units are involved in the ongoing development and refinement of plans to support continuous improvement efforts.
• MATC has developed a single process and created LSQIP Review Teams to review all unit plans to ensure consistency and alignment across the institution, which has enhanced MATC’s continuous improvement efforts.

The Systems Appraisal Team also provided feedback on opportunities for improvement that included:

• While MATC reviews measures at multiple times and levels during the planning cycle, it would be useful for the College to define how, in addition to the District Board, departments and units can develop measures that assist in defining progress on the College’s mission, vision and goals.
• The team felt that Convocation Days alone were not adequate to train all staff on institutional priorities and that there needs to be a more continuous process in place that could include other training, such as just-in-time learning and other opportunities.
• The College has survey responses from participants in the LSQIP process but needs to collect and provide evidence of the effectiveness of the process.

Since the Systems Appraisal was completed, MATC has worked hard to address these opportunities for improvement.

Planning continuous improvement is larger than a single Action Project and must be at the heart of an institution’s AQIP activities. The College has grown as an institution by improving its processes related to identifying stakeholder needs, developing clear goals, creating plans for achieving these goals and allocating resources to implement the plans. MATC continues to develop methods to collect data and measure our progress in achieving our goals. Continuous improvement, as its name implies, is never completed but MATC has made great strides in its improvement planning and implementation.