Goals of the Self-Study

College of the Mainland has identified the following primary goals for its Self-Study Process:

• Improve COM's Institutional Effectiveness** Program:
  • To examine our strategic plan and sharpen our vision of the future,
  • To apply this strategic planning to our assessment policies and practices,
  • To use assessment to identify our strengths and weaknesses
  • To formulate recommendations for continuous improvement
• Strengthen our team structure
• Prepare for the 2003 SACS Peer-Evaluation Team Visit

Desired Outcomes of the Self-Study Process:

• Improved educational and support services for our students, employees, and community
• A well-defined vision for the future of COM
• A streamlined assessment process
• New tools for continuous improvement
• A strengthened team structure
• A successful self-study report
• Reaffirmation of our accreditation for another ten years!

**Institutional Effectiveness: At the heart of the SACS 1998 Criteria for Accreditation, underpinning all 400+ "must" statements, lies the concept of Institutional Effectiveness. Institutional Effectiveness (IE) describes a systematic approach to planning, assessment, improvement, and budgeting that enables institutions to accomplish several crucial elements.

A comprehensive IE program will enable COM to:

• measure the appropriateness of the goals it has set,
• measure the degree to which those goals are being met,
• plan and budget for improvements to its programs and services,
• and demonstrate to all constituents COM's commitment to a continuing quest for quality.