Thursday, March 3, 2016

PROPOSED ACADEMIC INITIATIVE IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES

PROPOSED ACADEMIC INITIATIVE
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES
For Pilot Fall 2014

As a result of information gathered at the Senate/Administration Round-Table discussions held on May 11 and November 30, 2011, a Joint Administration/Senate Taskforce on Academic Decision Making and Governance was appointed by the College and Senate presidents to develop a procedure to better inform the College Community of the academic decision making process at Bristol Community College.  The charge to the taskforce was to:

Establish a clear, inclusive, closed-loop process for academic decision-making, including timelines, identification of stakeholders, clear roles & responsibilities, broad input, and verification that stakeholder input was heard.

The guidelines included here provide a framework to consider and debate academic initiatives prior to implementation.   They are designed to be inclusive, encourage creativity and foster innovation.  By following these guidelines an initiator can develop consensus earlier in the process, solicit, confirm institutional support and insure necessary resources are available for their project.  These guidelines are not designed to replace or supersede any existing academic policies or requirements.  What these guidelines do not do:

·         They do not infringe on the current governance structure.
·         They do not infringe on rights of faculty and staff currently outlined in the C.B.A in total, but particularly Article 7.
·         They do not infringe on management rights currently outlined in the C.B.A., particularly Article 4.


Section 1:  Academic Initiative Definitions

For the purposes of these guidelines an Academic Initiative (AI) is defined as a new initiative that affects the offerings, personnel and/or facilities in a way that is outside the scope of our current governance structure (i.e., expansion of dual enrollment-type programs) that has a direct or indirect effect on academic personnel and professional staff.   Due to the varied level of impact these types of projects can entail, it is important to define the different types of AIs.  These guidelines are intended to apply to the following categories of AIs:


College-wide Initiative – This is an AI which affects the offerings, personnel and/or facilities of many departments or service areas.  These would include but are not limited to projects involving, new programs (including new, non-traditional programs) and changes in placement policies or facilities that are available for use by the entire staff or student body.

System-wide Academic Initiative – This is an AI which has impact beyond the institution and may impact offerings at multiple institutions.  It is important to understand that these are often initiated and controlled by agencies external to the college and may be beyond the scope of these guidelines.  It is understood however, that while external agencies may not require it, the College is committed to following an inclusive, transparent process similar to the process described in these guidelines, as circumstances allow.

To maintain the integrity of the college’s academic offerings and to insure the decision is transparent, inclusive and has the appropriate level of impact, a process similar to the one laid out in these guidelines is recommended (especially the guideline associated with reporting).   It is also important to understand that while many AIs are initiated by individuals, departments or divisions, they can grow into larger College-wide or even System-wide projects.


Section 2:  Establishing an Initiative


STEP 1 – The Academic Initiative

The first step of the process is to develop a clear and easily communicable concept of what this initiative will entail.  To do this an Academic Initiative Proposal form (attached) must be completed by the prime contact person for the initiative (lead faculty member or administrator).  This form must include the following:

·         Working Project Title expresses the nature of the initiative clearly and concisely & maybe changed prior to final implementation.
·         Working Project Summary – a brief description of project including any resources (funds, personnel, facilities, etc.) which appear to be necessary for the project’s success which will be modified throughout the process based on stake holder responses.
·         Due Date – include an explanation why a decision must be made by this date.  A review period of two weeks is recommended unless quicker responses are necessary.  
·         Population(s)  to be Served – stated population is congruent with college’s mission and strategic plan
·         Estimated Budget & Source of Fundingeither identified or requested

This form is meant primarily as an internal communication tool, so please keep it simple and use clear language.   This proposal form is then forwarded to the appropriate Academic Leadership.
STEP 2 – Implementation Team

Academic Initiative requires someone to take ownership of the project and accept the responsibilities of developing consensus among stake holders, determining all necessary information, making sure the project(s) is in compliance with college policies and inform the wider college community of project impacts.  To do so, the creation of an Implementation Team is suggested.  The team composition is suggested:

·         Lead Faculty or Professional Staff
·         Lead Administrator
·         Students Services Representative (if AI has a significant SS Component)

In addition, other members of the community or other agencies or institutions may be included, depending on the nature of the AI being investigated and implemented.  

Section 3:  A Transparent and Inclusive Process

The centerpiece of our recommendation is the recognition, acceptance, and agreement that transparency and inclusion are necessary components of an effective College Governance system that values Shared Governance-Shared Responsibility.  The system must be responsive to stakeholders as a matter of everyday process.  Both management and the faculty and professional staff agree that communication of AIs and their status is an ongoing process as the proposal moves forward.  There are many communication formats that can be used to provide this communication including:

·         Department & Division Meetings
·         Committee Meetings
·         Professional Staff & All-Academic Area Meetings
·         Web Based Tool
o   Academic Affairs Blog
o   @ Everyone e-mails
o   Bristol Buzz
o   Angel Community Spaces
o   Sharepoint

The purpose of this proactive communication is to inform stakeholders of the initiative & engage feedback at designated benchmarks to better inform the initiative.   This allows for broad input and promotes a culture of accountability. 


Initiators are urged to:

1.       Use a Systems Perspective rather than a Linear Process.  This means to look at initiatives through the perspective of how they affect the whole with each action having a counteraction to consider.
2.       Use technology for dissemination of information, gathering feedback, and providing status updates to move the process along in a timely mannerAn even faster process (fast track) may need to be established for very time sensitive decisions.
3.       Make data-driven decisions.  Take advantage of existing sources of information including Institutional Research, the Office of Grant Development, Student Services and Graduate Information gathered by Alumni Relations, The Perkins Grant (for Employment Information) and the Office of Transfer Affairs

It is the initiator’s responsibility to insure that all important stake holders have an opportunity to provide their feedback, to verify that stakeholder input was heard and to incorporate that feedback into the proposal where appropriate.  Stake holders are obligated to provide their feedback quickly, concisely and in a constructive fashion.  If this type of feedback is withheld or significantly delayed the academic implementation team will re-direct efforts to encourage greater participation. This should be a proactive process and Failure to Receive a Response does NOT Constitute Support.  An initiative does not require 100% support, but must take all concerns into account prior to further implementation.

Final decision on any AI will require sign offs by the Academic Leadership including Dean and Department Chair at the program level, AVP and the CAO at Divisional Level with the final decision on all AIs resting with the President or his designee.  To maintain a transparent and inclusive policy of SG-SR, decisions will be made public with associated rationales/justification for the decisions that were made.


Section 4:
  Communication & Continuous Performance Improvement

For this process to be fully effective the Initiator/Implementation Team must provide regular updates to the college community.  While numerous formats are available (see Section 3:  A Transparent and Inclusive Process) and their use is strongly encouraged, it is essential that these updates occur as part of the existing Academic Affairs reporting structure. 

Lastly, to fully realize the long-lasting benefits of any AI, Academic Affairs must adopt a policy of proactive Outcome Assessment and Performance ImprovementThis means that there is never an end to the process because it is imperative to always go back and recheck the processes; as one solution is found, it may affect other processes within the system that need to be reevaluated. 


Figure 1: Academic Decision Making Process

It should not be a “closed” process, rather an “open” process with a closed loop.  Therefore, pilot initiatives must be evaluated before being fully implemented and ongoing AIs must be evaluated at designated intervals.  This should always include feedback from stakeholders.  While this is being accomplished at the program level with Academic Program Review, additional evaluation processes should be established where appropriate so that all initiatives are reviewed and data generated closes the feedback loop to continue, modify or even halt the AI.


ACADEMIC INITIATIVE PROPOSAL


Primary Initiator(s):                                                                                                                                                                                    
Department/Division:                                                                                                                                                                 
Telephone # & Extension:                                                                           Date:                                                                    
Email:                                                                                                                                                                                                 



Initial Proposal

Working Title of Proposed Project:

Working Summary of Project – Include required resources (not to exceed one page in length):





Due Date (please indicate if fixed & why):




Estimated Budget:                                        $                                                                



Identified or requested funding source:



Notification

         President of F&PS Senate                                                                             __________________________           
                Required for all College-wide Academic Initiatives



Approval
              President or his designee, usually Academic V.P.
         Academic VP                                                                     ___________________                                         
                Required for all College-wide Academic Initiatives




NOTE: Approval to Investigate Does NOT Constitute Final Approval







Stake Holder Communication & Feedback
(including but not limited to “@ Academic Area” e-mail):



        Communication Method                                                                                                     Date:                                    
                                                                                                                                               
        Stakeholders Included (list by service area and/or individual if appropriate - expand as necessary):
                                                                                                                                               
       



        Feedback provided: 








        Attachments (meeting minutes, blog transcript, etc. if appropriate):

Repeat for multiple Communication & Feedback Opportunities                      


NOTE: Failure to Receive a Response does NOT Constitute Support







Implementation Team Leader:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Department/Division:                                                                                                                                                                 
Telephone # & Extension:                                                                           Date:                                                                    
Email:                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Implementation Team Members (if applicable):                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                                               


Final Proposal

Project Title:

Project Summary (not to exceed one page in length):









Dedicated Resources:

Implementation Date:

Population to be served:



Project Budget:                                              $                                                                



Funding Source:






Required Signatures & Rationales:


        Academic VP or Designee                                                                                                   Date:                                    
               
           Approve               Approve with Modifications               Disapprove
        Modifications and Rationale: 
             Expand section as necessary


        President of College or Designee                                                                                     Date:                                    
               
           Approve                Approve with Modifications              Disapprove
        Modifications and Rationale: 

            Expand section as necessary



Please send completed form to Central Academic Affairs, D210, or


e-mail to: Robin.Riley@BristolCC.edu

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