Institutional Effectiveness

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Kankakee Community College is committed to improving academics at the course, program, and institutional levels by assessing student learning and making adjustments to our programs and courses in order to improve student success.

On this site you will find academic assessment plans, current assessment activities and changes being implemented that reflect our assessment data.

^{Figure based on National Institute for Learning Outcomes Transparency Framework . Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).}

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Learning Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes

Student learning outcomes statements clearly state the expected knowledge, skills, attitudes, competencies and habits of mind that students are expected to acquire at an institution of higher education.

These outcomes are listed institutionally, through programs, and through courses.

Institutional outcomes - includes general educational outcomes, as listed below.
Program outcomes - currently listed with each program in the online Catalog.
Course outcomes - currently listed on each course syllabus.

Institutional

General Education Outcomes

General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom.

KCC has three General Education Outcomes:

Communication

Students who graduate from KCC will be able to create and interpret messages within specific contexts and multiple channels and modalities.

Critical Thinking

Students who graduate from KCC will be able to comprehensively analyze and evaluate issues, ideas, and evidence before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.

Responsibility

Students who graduate from KCC will model ethical and professional behavior and cultivate an environment supportive of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Assessment Plans

KCC’s assessment processes operate systematically throughout the calendar year as faculty, staff, and administrators plan for, gather, and act on assessment data. Each level of assessment is planned out and reported out yearly through division, program, and institutional reports. College plans for gathering evidence of student learning might include institution-wide or program and discipline-specific approaches that convey how student learning will be assessed, the data collection tools and approaches that will be used, and the timeline for implementation.

General Education plan

	Communication	Critical Thinking	Responsibility
Fall 2024	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations	Collect Data	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation
Spring 2025	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations	Collect Data
Fall 2025	Collect Data	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations
Spring 2026	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations	Collect Data	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation
Fall 2026	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations	Collect Data
Spring 2027	Collect Data	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations
Fall 2027	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations	Collect Data	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation
Spring 2028	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations	Collect Data
Fall 2028	Collect Data	Report out at inservice/implement recommendation	Analyze/interpret/identify recommendations

Program Assessment

Programs maintain a 5-year assessment plan that aligns with their 5-year program review process.
As faculty teaching in the programs complete their course assessments each semester, they return their results to the program director or coordinator who analyzes the information and creates action plans for future improvements and assessment.

Course Assessment

Faculty are provided time during the faculty in-service at the beginning of the semester to select one course objective to focus on, and create and submit a course assessment plan around that objective. Many faculty will work within their division or across divisions to create assessment projects that involve multiple faculty.
Final reports accompanied by two artifacts of student work per faculty member are submitted at the end of the term.
Reflections and artifacts are available for KCC faculty to view through the Curriculum and Assessment Resources page of the KCC employee portal.

Assessment Resources

Assessment is the process of gathering and interpreting information about student learning. It is evidence that provides an outward sign of “proof.” It may be one of many variables contributing toward success. The real question is not whether we are doing a good job teaching but are we systematically reviewing, documenting and assessing the relevant evidence? It gives us the power to share the success of our courses or programs. It provides an ongoing process to continually improve teaching and learning effectiveness.

The Student Learning Committee

KCC’s assessment processes are organized and implemented by the Student Learning Committee (SLC), which leads the charge “to develop, revise, and monitor the implementation of the college’s plan for measuring effectiveness in meeting established learning outcomes for students.” The SLC is comprised of faculty representation from each academic division of the college, as well as staff in Institutional Effectiveness, the Library and Student Success Center, Student Activities, and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Center. The SLC members act as a resource to academic and non-academic departments, programs, and committees as well as individual faculty and staff to assess student learning outcomes.

The Handbook

The KCC Assessment Handbook provides you with information to successfully develop and complete classroom, course and program assessments. You’ll find examples of assessment techniques, report forms and answers to often-asked questions.

Current Activities

Current Assessment Activities

Current assessment activities include information on a full range of projects and activities recently completed or currently underway to gauge student learning, make improvements or respond to accountability interests.

In response to General Education Assessment project recommendations, the Student Learning Committee is currently working on creating an online repository of assessment examples to be used by faculty and staff to gather ideas for future assessments.
In the Fall of 2024, the Student Learning Committee will be completing analysis of data and artifacts submitted in Spring 2024 for the Communication outcome. The committee will also be collecting data and artifacts for the Critical Thinking outcome this semester for analysis in the spring.
Faculty in the Math department select course objectives that students struggle with to assess. For example, in Contemporary Math, students struggled with the Logic unit. The instructor implemented new learning strategies, and the average grade went from 76.8% to 83.3% from Fall 2019 to Fall 2022. Also, the proportion of students who passed the unit went from 73.3% to 77.3%. Similar work now continues for an instructional unit on Finance.

Evidence of Student Learning

Evidence of student learning includes results of assessment activities. This may include evidence of indirect (e.g. surveys) and direct (e.g. assessment) student learning as well as institutional performance indicators (e.g. licensure pass rate).

General Education

Course Assessment

Use of Evidence

When recent program/discipline review data indicated low student success rates in the Anatomy and Physiology sequence, the college invested in embedded tutoring for students in those disciplines.
In a Program/Discipline Review of Developmental English, an opportunity to create co-requisite work was identified. Since Fall 2021, the English department has been performing ongoing assessments of our Accelerated Learning Program (ALP). KCC began offering ENGL-1423 in the Fall 2020 semester and discovered some problems as a result of both quantitative (e.g., student success scores) and qualitative data (e.g., student and faculty feedback). Each semester, the English faculty have been meeting to discuss the data and develop plans to address findings. Following this process in Spring 2022, the English faculty decided to pilot a different ALP model that would still enable underprepared students to complete English I in a single semester. In the new ALP model, students take ENGL-1422 in the first six weeks of the semester and, if they pass that class, continue onto a 10-week section of English I rather than the previous model where students were taking ENGL-1423 and ENGL-1613 throughout the same term/semester (working in both classes at the same time). Through ongoing assessment of student success data and feedback from faculty and students, the English department determined that this new model better suits students compared to the previous model. As a result, the department retired ENGL-1423 entirely and fully adopted the ENGL-1422 approach instead.
In response to General Education Outcomes assessment findings, the Student Learning Committee provided additional professional development opportunities for formative vs. summative assessment, tips for assessing communication, and the assessment of EDIB.
In tandem with work being completed by the Equity Planning Team and the EDI Committee, additional professional development has been created for faculty in regard to creating an inclusive classroom.

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Accreditation at KCC

KCC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) which accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions. The college participates in the Open Pathway and has its next comprehensive evaluation in 2024.

Additional information about accreditation is available from KCC’s director of institutional effectiveness and assessment, who serves as the accreditation liaison officer.

You can contact the Higher Learning Commission at 230 S. LaSalle St., Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604, 800-621-7440 or visit hlcommission.org.

College Recognition

KCC is Recognized by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) through September 30, 2029. KCC is scheduled to complete its next Recognition process in 2028.

Programmatic Accreditation

The college also seeks specific programmatic accreditations in the following areas. Accreditation status and program outcomes are located in the College Catalog within each program listed. Here is a summary of the most recent licensure pass rates.

Program	Accrediting Body	Initial Accreditation	Most Recent Accreditation	Next Reaccreditation
Paramedic (Riverside)	Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)	3/20/2015	1/16/2020	3/31/2025
Registered Nursing	Accreditation Commission of Education in Nursing (ACEN)	10/1/2015	10/20/2020	10/1/2028
Practical Nursing	Accreditation Commission of Education in Nursing (ACEN)	7/19/2017	10/20/2020	10/1/2028
Respiratory Therapist	Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)	9/19/2008	3/1/2018	3/31/2028
Physical Therapist Assistant	Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)	4/19/2011	5/4/2016	6/30/2026
Medical Laboratory Technology	National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)	10/26/1981	9/27/2019	10/31/2029
Phlebotomy	National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)	9/21/2012	9/27/2019	10/31/2024

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Individuals or other organizations and institutions who want to conduct research involving human subjects at KCC must have their work reviewed by the Institutional Review Board. KCC’s Office of Institutional Research oversees the work of the Institutional Review Board.

IRB Submission Guide

If you have any questions, please contact Lesley Cooper, Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment, lcooper@kcc.edu.

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IR Services

In support of KCC’s mission “Enhancing quality of life through learning,” the Office of Institutional Research collects, analyzes, interprets and reports data to lead institutional effectiveness. Institutional Research services and data are listed above. They:

Facilitate data-informed decisions by the academic division, student support services, operations, and leadership
Support strategic planning
Lead college-wide accreditation

The KCC Office of Institutional Research is a member of both the national and state Associations for Institutional Research and upholds its Code of Ethics.

KCC Data Book

Fact Sheets

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FY20-FY25 Strategic Plan

Background:

The core values represent shared beliefs about the qualities that reflect KCC’s essential characteristics. In fall 2008, KCC faculty and staff voted on the core values that best represent the college and describe how they expect themselves and others to behave, set standards, and drive the organization’s priorities.

The college vision and mission were established over 20 years ago, and have been affirmed by the Board of Trustees annually.

In developing KCC’s strategic plan, the college focused on 5 strategic priorities: Institutional Culture and Diversity, Excellence and Innovation, Access and Value, Partnerships and Collaboration, and Success. Goals were created from these strategic priorities.

The goals and actions plans for the FY2020- FY2025 strategic plan were developed from:

Focus groups and surveys (with community leaders and current students),
Labor Market Analysis and the Data Book (college-wide data),
#IdeaFest2018 (employee input), and
Strategy Mapping results (college leadership input).

VISION: The ideal for KCC

KCC is a flexible organization where teamwork is the expectation and student/client success the driving force. Our shared vision is to be a leader in creatively and rapidly responding to our community’s educational needs, emphasizing quality, affordability, and effective partnerships.

MISSION: The “what and why” of KCC

Enhancing quality of life through learning.

VALUES: The attributes we nurture and maximize to benefit each individual and the college Respect, Excellence, Learning, Integrity, Collaboration

GOALS: Strategies to achieve the mission

TARGETS: Metrics that show whether current performance is on track to achieve goals

GOAL 1

Improve student success through increased enrollment, retention, transfer, and completion rates.

Rationale: To achieve the mission of KCC, we will optimize the methods by which we reach potential and current students. Developing a comprehensive system to improve recruitment, retention, and completion rates is critical to improving student success.

GOAL 2

Create diverse, inclusive, and equitable teaching, learning, and work environments.

Rationale: KCC’s commitment to its core values fosters diverse and inclusive environments. KCC seeks to achieve equity in success outcomes for all its students and employees.

GOAL 3

Improve physical and virtual teaching and learning spaces.

Rationale: To increase student engagement in the classroom and beyond, we will accommodate various learning and teaching styles. Transformed learning spaces and integrated technology enable student engagement with instructional materials, peers, and faculty.

GOAL 4

Increase visibility and value in the community.

Rationale: As an open-access community college, KCC furthers the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) mission of educating students and preparing a skilled workforce. To realize this mission, KCC will optimize the value we add to the K-12 school system and to the local economy. Expanding partnerships with businesses and schools in the district will strengthen career and transfer pathways for the students we serve.

GOAL 5

Provide development opportunities to enhance KCC employee skills and knowledge.

Rationale: To optimize the mission of KCC, the professional development of employees is critical. This goal is the culmination of a 2018 AQIP Action Project and a college-wide initiative focused on improving the employee culture and customer service (“Cavaliers Care” and the “Bucket Initiative”). Further, a skilled employee base engages KCC in its core beliefs of excellence and learning.

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The Grants Development Office consults with faculty and staff who wish to pursue external funding for projects that align with the college’s strategic goals. The office also:

Leads the Grants Committee in review of proposals by faculty and staff. The committee determines if grants should be pursued with college resources.
Fosters an environment of transparency by maintaining a database of grants and funding sources.

Getting Help with Grant Development

To pursue a grant, first complete a Grant Feasibility Form for review by the Grants Committee. After given approval to proceed, the Grants Development Office will:

Provide consultation and guidance on the project plan to the program director, who will be the writer of the grant proposal and director of the proposed grant-funded program. Guidance will be given on the full grant proposal process, including aligning objectives with strategic goals and programmatic needs, outlining the writing process, and formulating the evaluation plan.
Furnish a standard college profile for the proposal, and assemble and analyze research data including national, state, local and college demographics and statistics.

Creating a Grant Proposal

After strategizing the Grant Development Process with the grants development director, the program director of the grant may move forward in writing and finalizing the grant proposal. This includes:

Analyzing the purpose of the proposal, outlining programmatic needs and finalizing the writing process.
Writing, formatting, and editing the proposal.
Garnering support from various stakeholders including institutional departments, local government agencies, and school districts who become important partners.
Submitting the proposal.
Coordinating the implementation of the grant if awarded, and leading the program through the grant award period.

Grant feasibility form

The Grant Feasibility Form must be completed for all grants over $5,000 (excluding TRIO) so KCC resources may be allocated for projects aligned with our strategic goals.

Send the completed form to Lesley Cooper, Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment Development, at lcooper@kcc.edu at least 60 days before your grant submission deadline.

After review by the Grants Committee, you will be notified of KCC’s decision on whether to move forward with the proposed grant no later than 45 days before the grant deadline.

Contact Lesley Cooper in advance with any exceptions requested of this timeline.

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Glossary of Institutional Effectiveness Terms

A

AQIP Systems Appraisal definition
AQIP Systems Appraisal
Definition:
AQIP-accredited institutions must undergo a Systems Appraisal every four years. This is an opportunity for an institution to get expert, objective, third-party feedback on its strengths and opportunities for improvement. In turn, institutions gain insight in determining the next targets for advancing quality in the institution through Action Projects and other plans.
Accreditation Liaison Officer definition
Accreditation Liaison Officer
Definition:
While the chief executive officer (KCC President) continues to be the primary contact point between the Higher Learning Commission and KCC, the ALO is the second line of communication about Commission policies, practices, and other matters related to accreditation. Appointed by the CEO of the educational institution, the ALO is responsible for:
Serving as a primary recipient of Commission communications regarding the institution’s accreditation, in addition to the chief executive officer.
Disseminating information and answers questions about Commission policies and procedures for all audiences within the institution.
Staying current with Commission policies and procedures.
Providing oversight and direction for the institution’s Data Update Coordinator (at KCC, this is the IPEDS keyholder) to ensure the currency, accuracy, and timeliness of information submitted to the Commission as part of the Annual Institutional Data Update (AIDU).
Providing oversight and direction for the timely submission of substantive change requests and reports required by Commission policy.
Facilitating responses to Commission inquiries, including complaints referred by the Commission staff to the CEO.
Maintaining the institution’s file of official documents and reports related to the institution’s relationship with the Commission. Such files are often kept in the president’s office.
Providing comments to the Commission as requested in its consideration of proposed policies, procedures, and issues affecting the accreditation relationship.
Ensuring that any changes in basic institutional information are reported to the Commission.
Ensuring that the institution meets its financial obligations to the Commission through the timely payment of dues and fees.

B

Benchmarked data definition
Benchmarked data
Definition:
A standard by which something can be measured, benchmarking is used to compare peer institutions to improve results. After identifying the key metrics and indicators for benchmarking purposes (e.g., completion rates for part-time students), the peer or comparison group must be identified (regional, state, and/or national). (See Peer Institution for additional information).
KCC’s Office of Institutional Research (OIR) then gathers and analyzes data from three primary sources: through Complete College America (CCA), IPEDS, and the National Community College Benchmark Project (NCCBP). The analyzed data is reported across the College (through scorecards, KCC Institutional Research website, etc.). OIR then provides recommendations for sustaining or changing practices affecting current outcomes, and these recommendations are used to inform decision-making at both departmental and institutional levels.

C

Causation definition
Causation
Definition:
Indicates that one event is the result of the occurrence of the other event, i.e., there is a causal relationship between the two events. This is also referred to as cause and effect.
The use of a controlled study is the most common way of establishing evidence of causality between variables, but it is important to note that you cannot prove causation with any experimental design: You can only have weaker or stronger evidence of causality. Causal relationships are established by experimental design, not a particular statistical test. You could use a correlation as your statistical test and demonstrate that the true experiment you conducted showed causation.
In a controlled study, the sample or population is divided in two, with both groups being comparable in almost every way. The two groups receive different treatments, and the outcomes of each group are assessed. If the two groups have noticeably different outcomes, the different experiences may have caused the different outcomes. There are limits to the use of controlled studies; for example, it would not be appropriate to use two comparable groups and have one undergo a harmful activity while the other does not.
To overcome this situation, observational studies are often used to investigate correlation and causation for the population of interest. The studies can look at the groups' behaviors and outcomes and observe any changes over time. In any study, but especially in an observational study, evidence for causality is increased by including relevant covariates, giving a scientifically plausible causal path, replicating results and so on. However, even in the best experimental design, you don't prove causality.
Classification of Instruction Programs definition
Classification of Instruction Programs
Definition:
A six-digit code assigned to a content area by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Each program of study has a Classification of Instruction Programs (or CIP) code; and each course has a CIP code that is assigned in the curriculum committee process. The codes are used for tracking enrollment and completion rates at the federal and state level.
Community College Survey of Student Engagement definition
Community College Survey of Student Engagement
Definition:
KCC administers the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, or CCSSE exam every three years, which provides information on student engagement. The survey, administered to community college students, asks questions that assess institutional practices and student behaviors that are correlated highly with student learning and student retention.
Competitive intelligence definition
Competitive intelligence
Definition:
Competitive intelligence, or CI, is the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors, and any aspect of the environment needed to support leadership and others making strategic decisions for an organization.
There is a process involved in gathering information, converting it into intelligence and then utilizing this in decision-making. CI essentially means understanding and learning what's happening externally, so the organization can be as prepared and empowered to anticipate and face challenges head on.
Complete College America definition
Complete College America
Definition:
Complete College America, or CCA, is a national nonprofit that works with states to significantly increase the number of Americans with quality career certificates or college degrees and to close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations. Over half of the states nationwide participate, providing comprehensive progress and student success data on two and four year colleges.
Correlation definition
Correlation
Definition:
A statistical measure, expressed as a number, which describes the size and direction of a relationship between two or more variables. A correlation between variables does not automatically mean that the change in one variable is the cause of the change in the values of the other variable.
How Correlation is measured
For two variables, a statistical correlation is measured by the use of a Correlation Coefficient, represented by the symbol (r), which is a number that describes the degree of relationship between two variables. The coefficient's numerical value ranges from +1.0 to –1.0, which provides an indication of the strength and direction of the relationship.
If the correlation coefficient:
Has a negative value (below 0), it indicates a negative relationship between the variables, meaning the variables move in opposite directions, i.e., when one increases the other decreases, or when one decreases the other increases.
Has a positive value (above 0), it indicates a positive relationship between the variables, meaning both variables move in tandem, i.e. as one variable decreases the other also decreases, or when one variable increases the other also increases.
Is 0, this indicates there is no relationship between the variables (one variable can remain constant while the other increases or decreases).
Course completion definition
Course completion
Definition:
Successful Completion– An earned grade of A, B, C, or S (Satisfactory)
Non-Successful Completion – D, F, I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), WF (Withdrawal, Failing), WX (Institution Withdrawal/Non-Attendance), or U (Unsatisfactory)
Criteria definition
Criteria
Definition:
Performance descriptors that indicate how well students will meet expectations of what they should be able to think, know and do. They are descriptive benchmarks against which performance is judged. These criteria or standards may be described in varying gradients of success as in rubrics or in grades. Often they are stated in terms of percentages, percentiles or other quantitative measures (Nichols, 2000) (See Descriptor, Rubrics, Benchmark)

D

Developmental courses definition
Developmental courses
Definition:
Courses that are below entry-level, credit-bearing college course levels. Developmental courses are designed to prepare students for college-level work, and are also known as remedial education. ICCB and Complete College America track placement in progress from developmental education and beyond in two subjects: math and English.
KCC tracks placement for math, English, and reading. Students may apply their financial aid towards these courses, although completion of these courses often does not fulfill graduation requirements.
Distance education course definition
Distance education course
Definition:
Education that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor synchronously and asynchronously.
Technologies used for instruction may include the following: Internet, one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcasts, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite or wireless communication devices, audio conferencing, and video cassette, DVDs, and CD-ROMs if the cassette, DVDs, and CD-ROMs are used in a course in conjunction with the technologies listed above.

E

F

First-generation student definition
First-generation student
Definition:
Neither parent completed a Bachelor’s (4-year college) degree or higher. Even if a students’ parent earned their Associate’s degree, they are still considered the first in their family to go to college. Likewise, if the students’ parents attended a 4-year college, but did not graduate, they are considered first generation. The same applies even if the students’ sibling(s) attended and graduated from a 4-year college(s).
First-time Applicant (to the credit division) definition
First-time Applicant (to the credit division)
Definition:
A student who has never applied to KCC in a prior term. The student may have postsecondary experience at another institution, but is applying for the first time at KCC. This includes students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).
First-time Student (in the credit division) definition
First-time Student (in the credit division)
Definition:
A student who has no prior postsecondary experience attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level, and is enrolled for the first time at KCC in a term. This includes students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school). For first-time students in the fall term, this includes students who attended KCC for the first time in the prior summer term.
Fiscal year definition
Fiscal year
Definition:
The Fiscal year (FY) is a 12-month period, running from July 1 through the following June 30, that is used for tracking financials and producing annual financial reports. Fiscal years are designated by the year in which the FY ends, not the year in which the FY begins. When looking at terms, a fiscal year is comprised of Summer, Fall, and Spring. Most ICCB reporting uses this standard.
Foundational courses definition
Foundational courses
Definition:
Courses that are below entry-level, credit-bearing college course levels. Developmental courses are designed to prepare students for college-level work, and are also known as remedial education. ICCB and Complete College America track placement in progress from developmental education and beyond in two subjects: math and English.
KCC tracks placement for math, English, and reading. Students may apply their financial aid towards these courses, although completion of these courses often does not fulfill graduation requirements.
Full-time equivalent definition
Full-time equivalent
Definition:
Semester full-time equivalent (FTE) is equal to the number of students taking 15 credit hours that semester. This is calculated by taking the total amount of credits taken in a semester and divided by 15. For example, if there are 1,000 students each enrolled in 15 credits in the fall semester, then there are a total of 15,000 credits of instruction taken.
The FTE for the semester is 1000 (15,000/15). For annual FTE, the measure used is 30 credit hours. As another example, if 1,000 part-time students take a total of 6,000 credit hours, the FTE for the semester is 400 (6,000/15).
Full-time/part-time student definition
Full-time/part-time student
Definition:
Full-time status is reported as students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours, but full-time equivalent is calculated using 15 or more credit hours (Please see Full-Time Equivalent definition as a cross-reference).
Full-time student – A student enrolled in 12 or more credit hours in either the fall or spring academic term, or 6 or more credit hours in summer.
Part-time student – A student enrolled in less than 12 credit hours in either the fall or spring academic term, or 5 or less credit hours in summer.

G

Graduation rate definition
Graduation rate
Definition:
The percentage of students in a cohort that complete a degree or certificate in a set time frame. Data are collected on the number of students entering the institution as full-time, first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduate students in the fall semester of a particular year (cohort), by race/ethnicity and gender; the number completing their program within 150% of normal time to completion; the number that transfer to other institutions if transfer is part of the institution’s mission; and the number of students receiving athletically-related student aid in the cohort and number of these completing within 150 percent of normal time to completion.

H

Headcount definition
Headcount
Definition:
The number of students enrolled for credit in a term. Duplicated headcount for a term would be the total number of students taking classes; the headcount is said to be duplicated because a student taking an English class and a math class would be counted twice.
Unduplicated headcount, on the other hand, counts each student only once, regardless of how many classes the student is taking.
Hybrid course definition
Hybrid course
Definition:
Hybrid or blended are terms used to describe courses in which some traditional face-to-face "seat time" has been replaced by online learning activities. A hybrid course is designed to integrate face-to-face and online activities so that they reinforce, and complement one another, instead of treating the online component as an add-on or duplicate of what is taught in the classroom.

I

IPEDS keyholder definition
IPEDS keyholder
Definition:
The person designated at each college or university as the official institutional representative to possess the network credentials to gain access to the IPEDS data collection system and complete the required surveys. The keyholder is responsible for entering data and locking the site by each survey completion date. For KCC, the role of IPEDS keyholder is part of the duties of the Programmer I position in the IT department.
Illinois Community College Board definition
Illinois Community College Board
Definition:
The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) is the state coordinating board for all 48 Illinois community colleges, and is responsible for administering the Public Community College Act in a manner that maximizes the ability of the community colleges to serve their communities. A majority of institutional reporting conducted by KCC is mandated by ICCB.
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System definition
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
Definition:
A data collection system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) gathers information from every college, university and technical and vocational institution that participates in the federal student financial aid programs.
It is required that institutions that participate in federal student aid programs report data on enrollments, program completions, graduation rates, faculty and staff, finances, institutional prices, student financial aid, and Academic Libraries. This data is made available publicly through the College Navigator college search website and to researchers and others through the IPEDS Data Center. Data is submitted to IPEDS several times throughout the year by the IPEDS keyholder.

K

L

M

N

National Community College Benchmark Project definition
National Community College Benchmark Project
Definition:
Over half of the nation’s community colleges in the United States participate in the National Community College Benchmark Project (NCCBP). NCCBP members can create national, regional, and per comparison reports based on the following normed benchmarks (a) completion and transfer for full-time and part-time students, (b) retention and persistence, (c) student performance, (d) satisfaction and engagement, (d) job market, and other institutional effectiveness metrics

O

P

Peer institution definition
Peer institution
Definition:
An institution similar in role, scope, or mission to KCC that is used to compare data related to admissions, enrollments, finances, etc. For statewide peer grouping, ICCB determined that KCC is in the same peer group as these community colleges:
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
Illinois Valley Community College
Lake Land College
Lewis and Clark Community College
John A. Logan College
McHenry County College
Beyond the ICCB Peer grouping, institutional data is also compared to data from other state and national community colleges. (See Benchmarked Data for additional information).
Persistence definition
Persistence
Definition:
The persistence rate is the percentage of students who return to college at any institution for their second semester or year, while the retention rate is the percentage of students who return to the same institution.
Student persistence may be tracked in several ways (e.g., first-time full-time, first-time part-time). Persistence rates are perceived as indicators of students’ continuation of behavior leading to a desired academic goal, which helps describe processes related to student goal achievement.

Q

R

Race and ethnicity classifications definition
Race and ethnicity classifications
Definition:
Categories developed by the Office of Management and Budget that are used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. In reports, individuals are asked to first designate ethnicity as:
Hispanic or Latino, or
Not Hispanic or Latino
Second, individuals are asked to indicate all races that apply among the following:
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Reporting also allows for “Nonresident Alien” and “Unknown” classifications.
Reimbursable credit hours definition
Reimbursable credit hours
Definition:
KCC is funded for specific courses based on the course academic area (funding code), the students’ residency, instructor certification that the student is still attending at midterm, and other factors. Some reimbursable hours stem from courses that are not credit division courses including Adult Education (ESL, GED) and some Continuing Education courses (computer training offerings). The ICCB reimburses KCC at different rates for each category of course, and the rates change each fiscal year. For FY15, the following rates were in place:
Reliability definition
Reliability
Definition:
The overall consistency of a measure. A measure is said to have a high reliability if it produces similar results under consistent conditions. Note: Reliability does not imply validity.
For example, while there are many reliable tests of specific abilities, not all of them would be valid for predicting student performance.
In terms of accuracy and precision, reliability is a useful way of describing precision, while validity is used to describe accuracy.
Retention definition
Retention
Definition:
A measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at the same institution, expressed as a percentage. For community colleges, this is the percentage of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students from the previous fall who either re-enrolled or successfully completed their program by the current fall.
Student retention cohorts may be defined in several ways (e.g., first-time full-time, first-time part-time). Retention rates, along with graduation rates, are perceived as indicators of academic quality and student success.
This measure seems limited to degree-certificate completion. That is not the goal of all students, but yet they were retained until their goal was met. Perhaps this is an exception difficult to capture.

S

Standard deviation definition
Standard deviation
Definition:
Represented by the Greek letter sigma, σ, standard deviation (SD) is a measure used to quantify the amount of variation of a set of data values. A SD close to 0 indicates the data points tend to be very close to the mean of the set, while a high SD indicates that the data points are spread out over a wider range of values. The SD of data set is calculated as the square root of its variance. In addition to expressing the variability of a population, the SD is commonly used to measure confidence in statistical conclusions. For example, margins of error are typically reported as twice the SD. In science, only effects that fall much farther than two SDs away from what would have been expected are considered statistically significant; normal random error or variation in the measurements is in this way distinguished from causal variation

T

Triangulation definition
Triangulation
Definition:
Multiple lines of evidence pointing to the same conclusion.
In educational research, triangulation is used to indicate that two or more methods are used in a study to cross-verify results. The aim is for the researcher to be more confident with a result if different methods lead to the same result.
In the reporting and analysis of institutional information, KCC triangulates and benchmarks data from a variety of sources to ensure the accuracy of data on which subsequent interpretations and decisions are made. KCC conducts differentiated population analysis for a variety of benchmarking metrics and indicators. (See Benchmarked Data for additional information).
For example, both IPEDS and ICCB track progress and success of first-time, full-time students. KCC chooses to also track part-time students, and benchmarks from NCCBP to provide a more accurate understanding of retention rates of students. Another example is placement in developmental/foundational courses.(See Developmental Courses for additional information).