The process:
Dr. Conrad described the format of the reporting, dictated by Commission procedures. The recommendations were presented to the College community verbally. Questions could not be entertained. The recommendations will be given to the commission, and forwarded to our President for factual correction in approximately a month. After the corrections process the Commission will carefully review
the recommendations from the previous accreditation six years ago
the self study and
the recommendations of the team
The commission will meet in June and decide what the outcome is for the College. We will receive this information approximately two weeks later.
The Exit report combining exit meeting and exit assembly notes:
The good:
1. The college shows a willingness to use student learning outcomes and student learning outcomes are broadly accepted by faculty and staff. The new standards with their focus on student learning outcomes were approached honestly. The college's efforts are pioneering. The initial effort is impressive.
2. The college has made significant gains in computer hardware and access to computing technologies. Impressive gains have been made with up to date technology.
3. The mission of the COM-FSM is well articulated and widely known. Even students were aware of the mission of the college. There is a focus on students and a dedication to the mission, national needs, and island sustainability. The effort to develop Micronesian capacity is good.
The college has been uneven in addressing prior recommendations. The college has addressed the need for a strategic plan, has attained audit compliance, improved the learning resources of the college, developed a personnel manual, filled faculty positions, and improved the dormitory, recreation, and maintenance.
However, the college is not in compliance in the following areas that are part of pre-existing recommendations:
· A Board of Regents policies manual must be put into writing and disseminated to every member of the six site system. This is a significant issue that must be addressed immediately.
· The research program must be formalized. Vacant positions are not an excuse for not getting these things done.
· The technology plan must be expanded and updated.
· The faculty evaluation instrument in current use is not in compliance with the standards.
There are very serious issues that need to be addressed, these issues were organized under four themes: improving communication, integrated planning, identification and assessment of student learning outcomes, and creating continuity.
Details of the recommendations:
1. Improve communication. An
absolute must.
a. Collaborative decision making processes must
include faculty, staff, and students at all six facilities. We
created a six campus system and have not taken that seriously enough.
Committees tend to ignore the existence of the six facility system.
[Participation is limited to those on the national campus.] Faculty,
staff, and students, at all six facilities need to know their role
and participate in decision making. The scope of decision making,
including the scope of standing committees, must be clearly
communicated. There should be widely disseminated decision making
flow charts. Informal processes are insufficient.
Every
member of all six sites must know how to move things through the
system. Once decisions are made, there must be a protocol to send
information back out. There is no current feedback loop.
Recommendations go in, changes are made, but the changes made are not
fed back to those who recommended the changes. The dialog on
implementing assessment plans must include formal pathways for
communication linked across all six sites.
b. Improving
communication includes having an organizational chart of
responsibilities. No assurance of quality instruction can occur
without clear lines of authority. And that authority cannot be the
President. The same level of instruction and services must occur at
all campuses. Not just at one campus, but all campuses. Not having
the same level of quality at all campuses threatens accreditation.
All monitoring and mentoring is on the national campus. We
are one college with six sites. We decided to have a six campus
system, this was our choice. We must now bear whatever costs are
required, including travel, to ensure that the same level and quality
of instruction, student services, and facilities exists across the
system. Every new faculty member should be approved by the vice
president for instructional affairs. The state campus directors
should function as deans, or division chairs of their facility.
Issues like text books begin available earlier are a problem that
should be corrected, but the instructional piece is the heart of the
issue and must flow from the VPIA.
All instructional units
must report to the vice president for instructional affairs. All
student services units must report to the vice president for student
services. All learning resources units must report to the director
for learning resources. We must develop a college wide organization
chart of administrative responsibilities for student services and
instructional affairs. We must improve communication, collaborative
decision making and delineate the structure of administrative
responsibilities. We must change our organizational structure. The
division chairs must have system wide responsibility and they need
not necessarily be based at the national site.
2. We must integrate planning. Plans
tend to sit on a shelf. We must develop and implement a college wide
plan that:
- includes all six sites
- integrates planning,
evaluation, resource allocation.
- includes a technology plan to
replace the present dated and very brief plan.
- includes a
technology plan that supports and evaluates instruction across all
six sites
- is driven by the college mission
- involves faculty
and staff at all six sites
- uses data to guide decisions
and is used on a daily basis
- is updated annually and is
measurable
- is distributed to everyone, found everywhere, and
used by everyone
3. The college must continue their effort to identify and assess student learning outcomes. Assessment should be linked to resource allocation. Implement student learning outcomes at all levels including program and course levels. There must be links between student learning outcomes and planning. There must be mechanisms to measure, improve, and regularly evaluate both the student learning outcomes and the linked plans.
4. We must have continuity that
includes all six sites. We must standardize instruction, student
services, learning environments, and the quality of instruction.
-
There must be a written Board of Regents policy manual.
- We must
have written and readily available policy manuals covering
instruction, student services and administration.
- There must be
a cycle of improvement over time.
- All full time and part time
hires must meet the same standards.
- Assignments must be
appropriate to qualifications.
- performance evaluations must be
to a uniform standard and uniformly implemented at all six sites.
-
there must be comprehensive, consistent and equal student services
offerings at all six sites.
- We must provide adequate facilities
at all six sites.
- At this time the college must immediately
provide adequate facilities for students learning at the Chuuk site.