ACCREDITATION '98

The vast majority of research undertaken at Saddleback College is done by the individual unit requiring specific data. There is also much data collected by the District Office of Information Technology that is made available to the individual colleges via the South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD) Almanac (Ref. 3.1). The District Information Technology department is actively developing a data warehouse that will centrally house information for institutional research and planning purposes. The data warehouse information will be derived from both legacy and future information systems.

Since the elimination of the District position of Institutional Researcher in 1994, no central office has had responsibility for the systematic gathering of data for use in institutional planning and evaluation. Many departments and divisions at Saddleback College collect data that is used for evaluation and review, and as part of the planning process. Among these are the College's Strategic Plan Steering Committee, the Budget Committee, the President's Council, and the Deans' Cabinet. These bodies work effectively to provide the institution with an integrated overview of campus activities and to provide the information necessary to make informed decisions.

Several agencies require documentation for use as a tool when evaluating ongoing programs. Among them are the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and the agencies that accredit various programs (Ref. 3.2). In addition, a number of Student Services functions are regularly audited by the State for compliance with guidelines and achievement of stated goals. Among these are the Offices of Financial Aid, Matriculation, Extended Opportunities Programs and Services (EOPS), and Disabled Students Programs and Services (Special Services). Continued certification and positive feedback indicates that these entities have been effective in the documentation of their achievements.

The District has invested significant resources in the development of an information management system. This data management system will provide a more comprehensive means of capturing and retrieving data for planning and research. Representatives of every department on campus have met with representatives of a software vendor and District Information Technology staff to develop specifications for the system. A prototype of the system was originally scheduled to be available in Fall, 1998, and the system itself was to be in full operation by Fall, 1999. There are delays in this implementation schedule.

The College has received a Title III grant to implement a student tracking system. This system will allow the College to gather data for measuring the effectiveness of many College programs.

The SOCCCD offices are responsible for many centralized functions such as Human Resources and Information Technology. Various components of the College rely on the District for information about these areas. It is often difficult or impossible to obtain necessary data, particularly statistics relating to personnel.

Saddleback College has a critical need for a full-time College institutional research position with primary responsibility for the systematic coordination of the various components of research and evaluation. This position would eliminate much of the duplication of effort that occurs when one entity repeats the research efforts which have been undertaken by another. The failure to provide assistance in survey design, research techniques, and statistical analysis may cause the validity of data produced to be suspect. At the Board of Trustees meeting on February 17, 1998, a proposal to establish the positions of Dean of Development, Research and Planning at both Saddleback and Irvine Valley College was rejected, although the Board did give some indication it might be willing to reconsider at a later date. In the meantime, research and development continues to be undertaken sporadically.

In 1996, the District issued $14,000,000 worth of Certificates of Participation (COPS), $6,000,000 of which were dedicated to the implementation of a District Technology Initiative. These funds enabled the College to establish a state-of-the-art computer network. When the system is completely implemented, each individual on campus, including students, will have an e-mail account and access to the Internet. The College has also invested in the infrastructure of hardware, software, and technology necessary to gather and exchange data. The District Information Technology department, in collaboration with software vendors, will provide the software necessary for a comprehensive information infrastructure specific to the needs of Saddleback College.

Adequate resources are not available to address research staffing needs sufficiently. The elimination of the District's Institutional Research position has severely impacted the ability of the College to create an integrated system of data collection. While the District has spent millions of dollars on providing cutting edge equipment and technology, there has been limited financial attention given to the manpower required for training, maintenance, and support of such a system. The Information and Technology Center (ITC), which has responsibility for these functions, is severely understaffed and finds it nearly impossible to maintain and support the current system. Once the proposed system is fully implemented, the problem of insufficient staffing will be even more apparent.

Saddleback College uses a number of tools for evaluating how well, and in what ways, its mission and purposes are achieved. The College sets forth goals that are published in the College Catalog (Ref. 3.3) and details the means by which it plans to achieve these goals. Vocational and categorical programs have advisory committees that meet for periodic evaluation and review (Ref. 3.4). The committees make recommendations about which programs can be enhanced to more closely meet student and community needs. Many of these programs are separately accredited and must provide substantiation of their accomplishments. Studies and surveys used to examine these programs are also used by the Strategic Planning Committee as it conducts an annual review of the appropriateness and effectiveness of College programs.

The College adheres to established standards that enable it to measure how well it is achieving each of the seven goals set forth in the College Catalog. Successful achievement of the first goal, which is to provide educational programs leading to the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees, is measured in two ways. First, all educational programs that lead to the Associate in Arts and Associate in Sciences degrees are detailed in the College Catalog. Second, student completion rates document the number of students who graduate each year, while transfer rates show the number of students who transfer to a four-year institution (Ref. 3.5).

The second goal provides a comprehensive and broad range of high-quality coursework that will enable students to pursue their educational objectives and career goals. Achievement of this goal is documented through the College Catalog, which shows 235 certificate or degree programs, and the Spring, 1998, Schedule of Classes (Ref. 3.6), which lists 98 pages of courses offered at various times during the week and on weekends.

The third goal addresses the College's general education (GE) requirements (Ref. 3.7). General Education is evaluated on a regular basis by the Curriculum Committee and the Articulation Officer, who are responsible for ascertaining that Saddleback College offers the coursework necessary to meet IGETC and CSU transfer patterns. Additionally, the College Catalog delineates 98 certificate programs that allow students to pursue various occupational goals.

The fourth goal is the provision of necessary developmental, remedial, and basic skills instruction. It is evaluated on a regular basis through the Matriculation program evaluation. Assessment instruments approved by the State Chancellor's office are used to identify students in need of basic skills education or English as a Second Language instruction. The Matriculation process provides support services to promote student success.

The fifth goal makes the educational, cultural and recreational resources of the College available to the Community. The success of this effort is measured by the participation of non-students in College activities. Many of the resources of the College, such as the library, the theater, the Solar Observatory and student services functions and facilities, are available to residents of the Community.

Evaluation of the requests of community members and the business community has resulted in increased numbers of off-campus classes. A number of departments and programs are subject to review by accrediting agencies which require that recommendations for improvements be implemented and documented. As part of the 1996-1999 Strategic Plan (Ref. 3.10), a policy of program review has been set forth following a schedule determined by the Vice Presidents. Each program will be reviewed on a six-year rotation. The review process requires a three-semester time frame.

The lack of a Dean of Development, Research and Planning severely impacts the ability of the College to create and implement research studies that would document the degree of student success in programs brought about by program evaluation. Thirty-eight percent of those responding to the Institutional Effectiveness Survey (IES) indicated that they disagreed with the statement that the College provides evidence of the success of program evaluation (Ref. 3.11). The Matriculation program is in the process of implementing and pilot testing a Student Success Factors Inventory that will provide benchmarks for use in gathering data

The College subscribes to a philosophy of shared governance that provides for the involvement of all members of the College community in the planning process. Members of both the classified staff and faculty are represented on all College committees and on the President's Council. The Strategic Plan Steering Committee is designed to consist of the chairs of the ten accreditation standards committees and includes representation from classified, academic, and administrative staffs. The 1996-1999 Strategic Plan was researched and written by individuals representing a broad cross-section of the campus community.

Although the College makes a focused effort to gather opinions from all facets of the campus community, some groups are frustrated by the process. There has been concern about the Board of Trustees not considering the recommendations of College committees and governance units. This frustration has created in many faculty and staff a general disinterest in serving on committees and governance units. Recently, attempts have been made to improve the overall campus climate with regard to communication. The acting President of Saddleback College has introduced biweekly forums open to all College constituencies to promote the open exchange of ideas and information. In addition, the President's office publishes an on-line newsletter. The Public Information office publishes an Associate Faculty newsletter.

In Fall, 1994, Saddleback College undertook the process of creating a strategic plan that would provide the College with direction to the end of the century. This process required input from all College constituencies. The Strategic Plan addresses the issues of philosophy, organizational structure, institutional staffing, program review, facilities, and institutional surveys.

On July 16, 1997, the Board of Trustees unilaterally changed the College's administrative structure with little or no input from shared governance units. Subsequently, in January, 1998, College administrators were requested to prepare an organizational analysis for dissemination to the College community and the Board of Trustees. This document (Ref. 3.12) examined the effects of the administrative reorganization on personnel, facilities, and on the unique attributes of each division.

Along with the publication of the Strategic Plan, in 1996 the SOCCCD created an Educational and Facilities Master Plan (Ref. 3.13). The separately created Educational Master Plan includes detailed narratives of each program (Ref. 3.14). Each of the shared governance units may provide at least one representative to each of the College committees that is responsible for planning in areas such as staffing and fiscal requirements. Each vocational program has an advisory committee that meets regularly to provide recommendations for improvements to its particular program.

Financial problems complicated by philosophical differences with the governing board have severely impacted the ability of the College to implement many of the recommendations of the Strategic Plan. Despite the well-documented need for the hiring of additional faculty and staff, many positions continue to remain unfilled. Despite limitations established by the District for divisions seeking grant support, several areas have been very successful in obtaining grants and special funding that will provide enhanced instructional programs. In several divisions, the work of the Deans has enabled the College to establish and enhance programs and services in response to the expressed needs and concerns of the community. One example is the Industry Related Training grant which will provide training for development of interactive media technology.

Through its Strategic Plan, Saddleback College has established as its philosophy the "affirmation of the College's commitment to the mission and philosophy of the District and the existing goals of Saddleback College as stated in the current Catalog." To achieve these goals, the College sets forth seven objectives, or outcomes, which are documented in the College Catalog and Student Handbook.

Each of the seven outcomes, which are listed in the College Catalog, has clearly defined criteria, which enable the College to determine that they have been met. The College offers 235 programs that lead to either an Associate Degree or a Certificate of Achievement. The general education program provides a broad range of courses that meet IGETC or CSU transfer patterns. A widely recognized special services program and the Learning Assistance Program provide developmental, remedial, and basic skills instruction. Through the College Foundation, local publications, and a variety of mailings, the College makes the community aware of the resources available for their use. The Division of Counseling Services and Special Programs makes personal, career, and academic counseling services available to students, and publicizes these efforts through various community agencies. Course offerings are available both on campus and at locations throughout the community for both academic and vocational growth. The Emeritus and Community Education programs make available academic and vocational coursework to non-traditional students.

One issue that has recently been clouded is the governance of the Emeritus Program. While curricular and financial responsibilities for this program are clearly assigned to Saddleback College, the Board of Trustees chose to place administrative oversight with the Vice Chancellor for Educational Services. The Vice-Chancellor has sought assistance from a consultant familiar with the program, who serves as liaison between the College and the District.

Another issue is the transition of the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station (Tustin MCAS) to the control of the District. Much coordination and expense will be required to make this vast facility ready to serve as a cluster of off-campus classrooms. The College is concerned about the potential negative fiscal impact the Tustin MCAS will have on the College.

The College conveys information concerning quality assurance to the public in a variety of ways. Reports are presented at public meetings of the Board of Trustees, the agendas of which are published and posted in the Library. In addition, the College's Office of Public Information is responsible for disseminating information to the community regarding all aspects of the educational process. It prepares press releases and arranges for press coverage of activities on campus. Reports are distributed to a variety of groups using several media venues. Information is included in the College Catalog, the Schedule of Classes, the Annual Report of the College Foundation (Ref. 3.15), and the Student Handbook (Ref. 3.16). Copies of Saddleback College's accreditation self studies are cataloged and are available in the Library. State law requires that a "Student Guide to Awareness and Campus Safety" be updated and published annually (Ref. 3.17). In addition, the College's Web site contains links to a variety of information and College-related resources. The campus radio station, KSBR, broadcasts information about campus programs to the local community and Channel 39 provides television coverage. The District publishes an Almanac, available on the District Web site, which is a compilation of statistics regarding the SOCCCD and its colleges.

The community is informed of the many programs and activities at Saddleback College in a variety of ways. The College staff works hard to ensure that Saddleback College has an identifiable public presence through many activities it sponsors, such as KinderCaminata, through participation in community activities such as the annual Swallow's Day Parade, through health service agencies, such as Mission Hospital, and through the Senior Olympics. Results from the Community Survey, distributed during Fall, 1997, show that a number of respondents did not have enough knowledge about the College to respond to many of the questions (Ref. 3.18).

The College has committed, through the publication of the Strategic Plan, to a systematic review of each of the categories covered in this document. As part of the accreditation process, the College continues to document its successes and identify areas for improvement on a regular basis.

Saddleback College has mandated a six-year rotation for program review. In addition, the College has committed to adopting the Student Success Factors Inventory for use in determining criteria to measure how well the College meets its goals for providing a positive student experience. The College plans to establish a student tracking system using Title III funds. The College plans to administer the Community College Experiences Questionnaire annually to provide data for examining the student campus experience. Although with the implementation of the information management system, the information necessary to coordinate the gathering of relevant data will be available to any interested individual, department, or division, the lack of a Dean of Development, Research and Planning impacts the College's and divisions' ability to analyze and incorporate such data for use in institutional planning.

Back to the Accreditation '98 Home Page