According to Project literature, what most distinguishes AQIP from traditional reaccreditation is its concentration on systems and processes both as the basis for quality assurance and as the lever for enabling institutional improvement. Nine AQIP Criteria describe the interrelationships among systems essential to any effective college or university using quality to refer to the never-ending improvement of systems and processes in support of mission. The Systems Portfolio for Glen Oaks Community College presents an Organizational Overview and reflects the context for analysis, the processes, the results, and the improvement relative to each respective criterion.
AQIP Organizational Overview (Revised on 12-1-2004)
AQIP Criterion One: Helping Students Learn
Identifies the shared purpose of all higher education organizations and is, accordingly, the pivot of institutional analysis. This criterion focuses on the teaching-learning process within a formal instructional context and addresses how the entire College contributes to helping students learn and to overall student development. It examines the institution'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 development
- Faculty and staff roles
- Teaching and learning effectiveness
- Course sequencing and scheduling
- Learning and co-curricular support
- Measures
- Analysis and results
- Improvement efforts
AQIP Criterion Two: Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives
Addresses the processes that contribute to the achievement of the College's major objectives that complement student learning and fulfill other portions of its mission. It examines the institution'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
- Measures
- Analysis of results
- Improvement efforts
AQIP Criterion Three: Understanding Students' and Other Stakeholders' Needs
Examines how the College works actively to understand student and other stakeholder needs. It examines the institution's 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
- Measures
- Analysis of results
- Improvement efforts
AQIP Criterion Four: Valuing People
Explores the College's commitment to the development of faculty, staff, and administrators since the efforts of all are required for institutional success. It examines the institution's processes and systems related to:
- Work and job environment
- Workforce needs
- Training initiatives
- Job competencies and characteristics
- Retirement, hiring and retention practices
- Work processes and activities
- Training and development
- Personnel evaluation
- Recognition, reward, compensation, and benefits
- Motivation factors
- Satisfaction, health and safety, and well-being
- Measures
- Analysis of results
- Improvement efforts
AQIP Criterion Five: Leading and Communicating
Addresses how the College's leadership and communication structures, networks, and processes guide the institution in setting directions, making decisions, seeking future opportunities, and building and sustaining a learning environment. It examines the institution'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
- Measures
- Analysis of results
- Improvement efforts
AQIP Criterion Six: Supporting Institutional Operations
Addresses the variety of institutional support processes that help to provide an environment in which learning can thrive. It examines the College'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
- Measures
- Analysis of results
- Improvement efforts
AQIP Criterion Seven: Measuring Effectiveness
Examines how the College collects, analyzes, and uses information to manage itself and to drive performance improvement. It examines the institution's processes and systems related to:
- Collection, storage, management, and use of information and data—at the institutional and departmental 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
- Measures
- Analysis of results
- Improvement efforts
AQIP Criterion Eight: Planning Continuous Improvement - (Revised 1-2005)
Examines the College's planning processes and how the College's strategies and action plans are helping achieve its mission and vision. It examines the institution'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
- Measures
- Analysis of performance projections and results
- Improvement efforts
AQIP Criterion Nine: Building Collaborative Relationships
Examines the College's relationships—current and potential—to analyze how they contribute to the institution's accomplishing its mission. It examines the College's processes and systems related to:
- Identification of key internal and external collaborative relationships
- Alignment of key collaborative relationships
- Relationship creation, prioritization, and building
- Needs identification
- Internal relationships
- Measures
- Analysis of results
- Improvement efforts