Team Members:
Rita Ali, Edwina Jordan, Janice Kinsinger, Arthur Rich, Sheena Martin, Titania Vargas, Anthony Lopez
Opportunity: (Purpose or Primary Reason for the Project)
The course success rates for Black and Hispanic students at Illinois Central College (ICC) is significantly lower than that of other racial or ethnic groups. The most significant disparities are reflected within Remedial Education and Baccalaureate/Transfer Education course categories. In light of demographic shifts and values for effectively serving a diverse student population, it is incumbent upon ICC to address this gap.
Business Case: (Budget Information)
The project aligns with ICC’s third critical success factor, namely, that we must attract and retain a diverse student body and employee group. As such, there are several level 2 and 3 benefits (needs of a diverse population, impacts on student services, enriched college culture, etc.). The project also affects enrollments in terms of success rate increases and semester-to-semester retention.
Goal: (Expected Outcomes, Deliverables, and/or Results)
The team’s measurements, analysis, and improvements will increase success for Black and Hispanic students up to 6% over the next three years.
Scope: (Constraints, Boundaries, and/or Key Risks)
While other groups make up ICC’s minority population, chiefly Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaskan, only Black and Hispanic students remain in scope. Process scope includes a cycle of 16 weeks, since success is defined by term (please see primary measures).
Timeline: (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)
This is a multi-phase project, with the goal of 2% increases in success for Black and Hispanic students in transfer and developmental courses over the next three years, equaling a total of 6%.
Primary Measures:
ICC’s Department of Institutional research analyzes minority success regularly as part of its reporting responsibilities to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). Specifically, data from fall and spring 2005 terms make up the primary measures; success in transfer and remedial courses operationally defines ICC’s current baseline performance.
Other: (Additional Resources Needed, Critical Considerations, and/or Initial Concerns)
Since this project links directly with ICC’s third critical success factor, it compares as an urgent project, makes it an important at all deliverable levels: costs, enrollments, quality, and satisfaction.
