1. What other principles and criteria should be considered when making investment decisions? reduction decisions?
2. How can we update or improve the standard data elements used for program or service assessment and budgetary analysis?
3. How can these principles and criteria be stated, organized and applied to support clear, transparent, consistent investment decisions?
Resource: Planning Framework draft content: BudgetDevelopmentPrinciplesCriteriaDataElements
Data Elements Comments and Suggestions:
Align with institutional core theme indicators and strategic direction measures
Develop specific data elements for academic transfer disciplines
Include transfer rates for four-year schools
Consider student success rates after transfer to four-year schools (relative to “native” students)
Is there a way to capture or forecast demand in majors or major careers as a transfer data element?
How does national data (trend, benchmark) apply or not apply to Lane programs and services?
Include benchmark and comparisons with other schools when analyzing data elements
Look at best practices from other schools
Is there a way to measure efficient articulation?
Student engagement measures should be included in both instruction and student affairs
Can we measure institutional barriers to student success?
Can we measure the impact of technological systems? Investment and return? Impact on students, staff…
Consider adding administrative services data elements
How do we measure institutional effectiveness?
Only instructional programs have workload measures; this should be an element of all programs and services data
Investment Criteria Comments and Suggestions:
Look to mission, purpose, strategic plan
Front-line (instruction, services, support) should be the priority for investments
Consider eliminating rhetorical emphasis on MAXIMIZING revenue
Prioritizing principles #3 and #4 are contradictory
Focus on investments that are sustainable
Investment should be connected to specific plans with implementation and assessment timelines and measurable outcomes
Data Elements Comments and Suggestions:
Consider extending the time horizon for trend data from five years to ten years
Measure effectiveness of systems, policies and procedures (e.g. in enrollment services)
Ensure we look externally to benchmarks and best practices when analyzing data
Consider providing discussion questions along with standard data elements to facilitate dialogue in departments
Include measures of student demographics and other core theme indicators
Consider including grade averages
Investment Comments and Suggestions:
Align curriculum to student enrollment patterns and demand in addition to programmatic needs
Focus more on student outcomes– what moves the greatest number of students forward
Ensure we have established outcomes and timely assessment
Invest in the “front lines” – faculty, counselors, advisors
Support innovation and new ways of thinking about our work
Consider adding principle of removing barriers
Reduction Comments and Suggestions:
Find ways to increase economies of scale
Stop activities that aren’t measurably moving students forward
Need will to act
Use comparative data in decision making
Be sure to fully communicate decisions, to include what they mean for individuals and work teams
Please include majors as part of standard data package