ACC’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness (I.E.) provides support and leadership for the College through design, implementation, and tracking of the strategic plan; assessment and improvement of instruction and administrative/educational support units; securing grant funding from public and private sources toward enhancing student success; and partnering with the Higher Learning Commission regarding policies and practices related to ACC’s accreditation.
The purpose of the strategic planning function is to build commitment to ACC’s shared vision – to be the leader in community college education in the State of Colorado – and ensure a pathway exists to achieve it. The collaborative planning process evolves through careful consideration of key factors expected to significantly impact ACC’s environment in the future and guides the College’s strategic directions, goals and tasks that are outlined to produce measurable, meaningful outcomes. Planning efforts foster the mission of the institution, our sustainability, and our accountability to the citizens of the State.
The assessment arm of I.E. relies on information gathered by instructional and operational units as a source essential for improving Learning Outcomes, programs, teaching and learning methods/strategies, and the College’s processes. The focus of instructional assessment is, of course, educational/student outcomes, whereas the focus of assessment in operational units is on the processes that stimulate, facilitate or support educational/student outcomes. Assessment results are analyzed for continuous improvement, tracked to inform strategic planning efforts, and can inform areas where external funding is warranted.
Securing grant funds in support of ACC’s mission in an ethical, professional, legal and effective way is the charge of I.E.’s grant writing function. All employees are encouraged to utilize ACC’s SPINPlus grants information database, review the decision-making matrix in terms of viable grant opportunities, and follow the guidelines for submitting a proposal that must ultimately be approved by ACC’s Leadership Team.
ACC is an Open Pathways institution of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). ACC’s President is the primary contact between the Commission and ACC; the accreditation function within I.E. is the second line of communication between HLC and ACC. The I.E. office answers questions about Commission policies and procedures, ensures ACC’s Annual Institutional Data Update is submitted to HLC, files any required substantive change reports, facilitates responses to HLC inquiries, maintains a file of official HLC documents/reports and documents the payment of annual dues and fees to HLC.
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Organization Chart
Assessment
- ACC’s Philosophy of Assessment
- Definitions of Assessment
- Assessment Mission Statements
- Goals of Assessment
- Assessment of Student Learning Results at the Program Level
- Assessment of Student Learning/Success Results at the Operational Level
- College Assessment Project Team
- Assessment Cycle and Timeline
- Closing the Institutional Assessment Loop
Grants Administration
For questions regarding grant development, grant submission, and/or award administration, please contact Carrie Zwanzig at 303.797.5728 or carrie.zwanzig [at] arapahoe.edu.
Accreditation
- HLC Visit
- Accreditation Process
- HLC Accreditation Committees
- Quality Initiative Institutional Report