Institutional Effectiveness
About this Page
Within Higher Education, the term Institutional Effectiveness (IE) refers to the systematic, ongoing process of evaluating how well a college or university is achieving its mission and goals. IE relies on evidence-based data to drive continuous improvement across academics, administration, and student support.
OCCC’s Mission states: At Oregon Coast Community College, we equip students for success by providing educational pathways and supports in response to the evolving needs of Lincoln County and beyond.
The key components used to assess institutional effectiveness at OCCC are:
- Student Success Core Theme Indicators with Peer Institution Comparison
- The College Strategic Plan and Annual Planned Initiatives
- Service and Program Area Review Process (SPARE and SPARC)
- Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes.
Oversight and accountability for the assessment of institutional effectiveness at OCCC resides with the Institutional Effectiveness Steering Committee, the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, and ultimately the President.
Student Success Core Theme Indicators
Student Success Core Theme Indicators
With Peer Institution Comparison
Methodology: OCCC defines Mission Fulfillment within a single core theme: Student Success. The metrics comprising Student Success align with the metrics and methodologies of the Oregon Community College Student Success Center (OCCSSC) framework and dashboard (4 measures: Completing Gateway courses, Progress, Retention, Success) augmented by a local 5th measure, Belonging and Early Success. The Measuring Student Success chart further delineates subobjectives, achievement indicators, and thresholds for each. These metrics rely upon data sources currently most available, reliable, and useful for assessing institutional effectiveness. In assessing institutional outcomes for student success, OCCC considers student outcomes in year-over-year trends for OCCC students, as well as considering results for four other rural-serving Oregon Community colleges similar to OCCC.
Visit Student Achievement tab, below, for most recent data on student success as defined above.
College Strategic Plan
College Strategic Plan 2023-2028
Annual Planned Initiatives
OCCC’s Strategic Plan (CSP 2023-28) builds and expands upon the 2015-2022 “Five Big Ideas” framework. The CSP was developed via a year-long process engaging with the college Board of Education and employees, industry partners, Lincoln County School District, various data sources, and the Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County.
Strategic Priorities for 2023-2028 are
- Students at the Center
- Careers Built Here
- Resourced and Ready
- First Choice, Best Choice
- Sharks Make Their Marks
Annual Planned Activities to Advance Strategic Priorities
Based on multiple internal and external sources of inputs, and consideration of available resources, College leadership annually develops Planned Activities to advance the five strategic priorities of the College Strategic Plan.
Planned Activities 2023-2024
Priority 1: Students at the Center
- Launch and implement the College Strategic Plan (2023-2028) with annual plans guiding tangible progress towards the five Strategic Priorities.
- Increase learning initiatives focused on equity and inclusion and evaluate their effectiveness.
- Improve student engagement, satisfaction, and learning achievement.
- Continue to examine and enhance the student journey and experience to remove/reduce barriers and increase engagement and sense of belonging.
Priority 2: Careers Built Here
- Subject to Board approval, develop and launch a capital construction local bond measure to
- obtain funding for new building focused on Career Technical programs, and
- modernize existing facilities. When successful, engage stakeholders in design and construction planning
- Update Facility and Academic Master Plan
Priority 3: Resourced and Ready
- Systematize the integration of planning and goal setting, assessment, and linkage to budget throughout all levels of planning, ensuring that all levels of planning support and advance Mission, Core Themes, and the College’s Strategic Plan
- Conduct Program Reviews with all programs (Instructional and Service Areas) as scheduled, ensuring outcomes associated with all degree programs are assessed on a regular basis, that the results are reported, and appropriate improvement plans are documented and implemented with support from the Office of Instruction and the Executive Team.
- Develop long-term plan for automation systems (ERP) for SIS, CRM, Finance & related integrations.
Priority 4: First Choice, Best Choice
- Improve student achievement in retention, pace, and graduation.
- Ensure systems of employee performance evaluation, professional development, and employee training and support are all operating effectively and contributing to a satisfied and engaged workforce.
Priority 5: Sharks Make Their Marks
- Expand programs and pathways which are of interest to students and meet the needs of the region.
- Advance engagement with and support of Lincoln County’s key industry sectors.
Planned Activities 2024-2026
Priority 1: Students at the Center
- Continue to integrate the Academic and Student Affairs divisions
- Expand and diversify postsecondary course offerings at all Lincoln County high schools
- Develop and establish a framework for OCCC’s HSI attainment status, a pivotal step in our journey toward academic excellence and inclusivity
- Develop andragogical (adult learners) instructional approaches and support systems
Priority 2: Careers Built Here
- Significantly increase CTE capacity and enrollment by expanding pathways and access to careers in advanced technology and trades (OCATT programming)
- Through our role within the HECC-recognized community college nursing consortium, pursue participation in the delivery of a four-year applied baccalaureate in nursing
- Pursue funding for physical resources that enhance learning, including modern facilities and equipment
- Regularly assess local needs in the trades and how the college and its strategic partners can meet them, including the update of the college’s Environmental Scan
- Pending voter approval, begin facilities design and pre-construction planning of OCATT Center
Priority 3: Resourced & Ready
- Successful recruitment and on-boarding of the next OCCC President
- Strengthen our campus culture of engagement, focusing efforts on building community through health, wellness and social activities, and intentional communication
- IT implementation of a new server to provide vital backup and failover capabilities & enhanced cybersecurity
- Implement year one of the multi-year Budget Alignment Process (BAP) to reduce reliance on one-time funds by at least 1% (Board Goal)
- Fully transition automated financial services processes to eliminate residual reliance on SharkNet
- Make significant progress on addressing deferred maintenance (as documented in the 2023 Facilities Review), to include the replacement of the Newport main building roof in summer 2024
Priority 4: First Choice, Best Choice
- Tailor and expand targeted engagement to highlight how OCCC can meet the unique needs of specific populations (adults, English-language learners, non-traditional, high school, pre-apprentice, etc.)
- Improve website navigability by redesigning the portal to career pathways and academic programs
- Enhance onboarding experience and expand orientation of college operational areas for new employees
Priority 5: Sharks Make Their Marks
- Conduct county-wide, community specific engagement events to determine local needs and priorities; Outreach focus will be defined by the outcome of May 2024 proposed bond measure
- Conduct post-election geographic analysis of support for, and opposition to, the May 2024 proposed bond measure, to document current perceptions of the college
- Continue enhancing the college’s role in county-wide emergency response, including updating and enhancing the current emergency supplies container infrastructure
Planned Activities 2026-2027
Priority 1: Students at the Center
- Expand and diversify postsecondary course offerings at all Lincoln County high schools.
- Advance OCCC from emerging HSI status to full designation through the development and implementation of a strategic institutional framework.
- Develop adult learners’ instructional approaches and support systems.
Priority 2: Careers Built Here
- Increase CTE capacity and enrollment by expanding pathways and access to careers in advanced technology and trades (OCATT programming).
- Annually assess local needs in the trades and how the college and its strategic partners can meet them.
- Ensure successful completion of the new career technical education building through responsible fiscal stewardship and effective management of project funding.
Priority 3: Resourced & Ready
- Develop, review and update the comprehensive facilities plan.
- Strengthen our campus culture of engagement by promoting health and wellness, fostering meaningful connections, and maintaining regular, transparent communication across the College.
- Conduct comprehensive program reviews across all College areas to assess outcomes, report results, implement continuous improvement plans, and integrate planning and budgeting at every level to advance the College’s Mission and Core Themes.
Priority 4: First Choice, Best Choie
- Tailor and expand engagement to highlight how OCCC can meet the unique needs of specific populations.
- Improve student achievement through enhanced retention, student progression, and graduation outcomes.
- Enhance onboarding experience and expand orientation of college operational areas for new employees.
- Ensure systems of employee performance evaluation, professional development, and employee training are all operating effectively and contributing to a satisfied and engaged workforce.
Priority 5: Sharks Make Their Marks
- Conduct county-wide, community specific engagement events to determine local needs and priorities.
- Develop, review and update academic pathways to expand programs which are of interest to students and meet the needs of the region.
- Advance Engagement with and support Lincoln County’s key industry sectors.
Other Institutional Plans at OCCC
Service & Program Area Review
Service and Program Area Review Process (SPARE and SPARC)
OCCC’s Service and Program Area Review (SPAR) is intended to provide a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of program effectiveness, and a review of program alignment with Mission, Student Success, and the College Strategic Plan. SPAR encompasses the ongoing and systematic evaluation of all College instructional programs and service areas. A Comprehensive Service and Program Area Review (SPARC) is expected by program or service area every four years. The SPARC is supplemented by the Service and Program Annual Review and Evaluation (SPARE), which provides an annual progress report toward achievement of goals and outcomes.
The OCCC ASSESSMENT PLAN AND HANDBOOK describes and guides the process for completion of both SPAR reports. (Revisions to the 2022 Handbook are underway).
Sample completed SPAREs and SPARCs can be viewed below and include both Instructional and Service Areas.
Instructional SPARC example link (replace with actual name)
Instructional SPARE example link (replace with actual name)
Service Area SPARC example link (replace with actual name)
Service Area SPARC example link (replace with actual name)
Questions regarding SPAR processes should be directed to the Director of Curriculum Operations & Effectiveness.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
OCCC assessment of learning outcomes includes formative and summative assessments. The combination of assessment methods enables the College to capture information about effective teaching and learning in the classroom and to assess how successfully students are able to integrate learning over time, after the completion of a sequence of courses or program. Summative assessments at the College include the assessment of learning outcomes associated with successful completion of a group of courses, either within a general education discipline (Discipline Learning Outcomes, or DLOs), or that fulfill requirements to complete a certificate or degree (Program Learning Outcomes, or PLOs).
Assessments are integrated and aligned through a curriculum outcomes mapping process, which identifies Course Learning Outcomes that relate to student achievement of Discipline and/or Program Learning Outcomes. Student achievement of learning outcomes is evaluated using four levels of achievement: Emerging, Developing, Competent, and Advanced. Faculty assess, evaluate, and document student achievement of learning outcomes and suggest and implement changes in the classroom to effect continuous improvement in teaching and student learning. Assessment results are shared, discussed, and evaluated in groups of faculty, including discipline and program faculty.
Student Achievement
State and National Benchmarking
*Scroll below this tab to view the interactive OCCC Student Success Dashboard
Oregon Small College Comparison Group (OCCA)
College | Head-count | State | Rural/ Town | %Female | %PT | %Hispanic | %Pell |
Oregon Coast | 398 | Oregon | Rural | 74% | 60% | 20% | 52% |
Tillamook Bay | 538 | Oregon | Rural | 58% | 80% | 22% | 52% |
Clatsop | 714 | Oregon | Rural | 56% | 63% | 19% | 49% |
Columbia Gorge | 1,039 | Oregon | Town | 65% | 72% | 24% | 41% |
Blue Mountain | 1,227 | Oregon | Rural | 55% | 55% | 27% | 41% |
Note: Data sharing between institutions within the state of Oregon only began in 2022, utilizing an agreed upon shared set of metrics from the Guided Pathways Framework. As such, the comparison of overall and disaggregated data amongst colleges is limited, though OCCC and the other Oregon Institutions are in the process of additional data collection, which will be updated in the chart above as it becomes available.
The shared metrics include:
- Completing Gateway Courses in Math and Writing (Pace)
- Reaching Momentum and Milestone Points (Pace)
- Staying Enrolled (Retention/Persistence)
- Achieving Success (Graduation/Transfer)
These metrics represent leading and lagging indicators in the lifecycle of the student and allow the College to make strategic investments of financial and human resources in order to improve overall student achievement and close equity gaps.
National College Comparison Group (NWCCU Region)
College | Head-count | State | Rural/ Town | %Female | %PT | %Hispanic | %Pell |
Dawson | 462 | Montana | Rural | 51% | 55% | 6% | 39% |
Miles | 583 | Montana | Rural | 66% | 53% | 3% | 43% |