Processes (P)

8P8 Measuring the Effectiveness of Planning Continuous Improvement

Western measures the effectiveness of institutional planning indirectly through analysis of the data collected internally and externally (Figure 7.2, 1R4).

• Western assesses institutional performance in its strategic planning through specific and measurable objectives and action items in the seven areas of its Strategic Plan (Figure 8.2).
• Implementation teams report progress relative to these measurable actions at six to seven annual strategic planning Steering Committee meetings.
• Western evaluates the effectiveness of annual strategic planning each year at the end of the process and publishes an annual Annual Progress Report. Western reviews the comprehensive Strategic Plan every five years.
• Western reviews AQIP Action Projects annually, focusing on priority strategic planning outcomes. For its first three AQIP Action Projects, Western chose three-year projects associated with applied learning, student engagement, and communicating quality.Current Projects include Building Graduate Programs, Enhancing Academic Quality through Critical Thinking, and Using Measurement and Assessment.
• Updating and replacing Western’s administrative computing software and hardware system became an institutional priority as the result of a process that identified the system as obsolete (Category Two).
• Western systematically reviews its programs and reports to the Department of Higher Education. Western integrates its program review with its continuous improvement and accreditation efforts.