Ozarka College

The Planning and Assessment Council (PAC) monitors, reviews, coordinates, and suggests enhancements to Ozarka College's planning and assessment efforts for each of the following:

• College strategic planning 
• Follow-up on actions of the strategic plan
• Use of assessment information to drive the planning process
• Use of assessment in improving student learning and institutional effectiveness
• Using planning to drive budgeting
• Identified measures of student learning
• Identified measures of institutional effectiveness
• Systemic process check
• Follow-up and documentation of measures of student learning and measures of institutional effectiveness

The purpose of planning at Ozarka College is to methodically work toward our vision within the boundaries of our mission. We accomplish this through the continuous assessment and improvement of all of our processes. The purpose of assessment at Ozarka College is to facilitate the continuous improvement of student learning and institutional effectiveness. Ozarka College will gather and evaluate information, make informed and relevant changes, and access the efficacy of those changes.

We shall evaluate our processes in both qualitative and quantitative terms to help us focus on improvement. In an open, but deliverables-focused environment, we shall:

• agree on specific problems to be addressed,
• brainstorm for possible solutions,
• normalize our approaches by focusing on the most value-added and promising solutions,
• define the appropriate process assets or deliverables needed to support institutionalized behavior,
• support the training and performance of the improved process, then vigilantly measure the process performance, being careful not to blame people, but focus on process performance.

The Planning and Assessment Council will meet on a regular basis, in general, once a month, to review progress on the planning and assessment activities. As a default, nominal involvement in the PAC means a commitment of meeting time and some meeting preparation time. Those who are assigned action items or initiatives may require a greater commitment of time dependent on the nature of and their role in the activity.

Members: Committee Co-Chairs: Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director of Planning and Institutional Research

College President

Administrative Council

Division Chairs

Faculty Council Chair

The PAC is a presidential appointed council created to take the foundational work of the Planning and Effectiveness Committee and advance it to the next level of planning and assessment oversight.  The records of the College Planning and Effectiveness Committee can be found at http://www.ozarka.edu/effectiveness/blackbox/index.cfm/event/committee_details/uuid/D7C1908A-054A-67AC-1899639471DE7D14/sch_yr/200809.