Good afternoon all,
A project, Pathways to Results (PTR), from of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is an outcomes-focused, equity-guided process to improve programs and policies that support student transition to and through postsecondary education into employment. PTR focuses on addressing equity gaps between diverse learner groups and continuously improving processes critical to student success, including retention, completion of postsecondary credentials, and transition to employment. PTR emerged as a method to improve programs of study in the state of Illinois, and it is being scaled to other states through the Trade Adjustment Act College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program.
This project has developed many products, publications, and resources that are designed to guide teams through the PTR process. One of their modules, Pathways to Results: Evaluation and Benchmarking focuses on processes that support evidence-based decision making, analysis, and accountability associated with PTR. Evaluation and benchmarking are complimentary processes that focus on what has happened in the past, what is happening now, and what can be accomplished in the future. This module assists program managers and administrators in addressing the following questions:
• What impact are programs of study having on outcomes and equity?
• How does the team know if the programs of study are successful?
• Is the team on-track with our implementation strategies?
• How do the selected programs of study compare to other programs of study that the team might evaluate in the future?
• What can the team learn from others who have worked on this problem?
• What can the team learn from others who have tried to improve similar programs of study?
• What does success look like?
Source: Flesher, J., & Bragg, D. (2013). Evaluation and benchmarking module. Champaign, IL: Office of Community College Research and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved from http://occrl.illinois.edu/files/Projects/ptr/Evaluation-Benchmarking-Module.pdf
In addition to the approaches discussed in the module, what other program improvement processes and methods do you use in your program? What does success look like in your program?
Gail Cope, LINCS Program Management Group