Riding the Artificial Intelligence Wave: Institutional Research/Effectiveness Hanging Ten/Engaging to Navigate Community Colleges’ Future

room: RC 238

Scott J. Parke, Ph.D. - Director, Planning & Policy Analysis - Miami Dade College

Join us in exploring related topics as the artificial intelligence (AI) swells continue impacting community colleges and the students we serve. During the session, information will be shared about AI concepts with an emphasis on effectively integrating generative AI in higher education. In-demand AI user skills for students and professionals will be touched upon. Topics addressed in evolving US national strategies on AI will be shared. Session participants will be asked to collaborate on a community college AI SWOT and vulnerability analysis (access to a laptop or cell phone with the Microsoft Whiteboard - Microsoft Apps will be helpful). Additionally, the session will highlight AI's prominent role in Gartner’s Top Strategic Technology Trends of 2024. The knowledge and skills that institutional research/effectiveness professionals possess can add value as institutions ride the AI wave and avoid rip currents.

Benchmarking for Enhanced Accountability and Impact

room: RC 155

Daphne Cook - Director of Continuing Education - Metroplitan Community College (NE)

Discover the evolution of a community college merging Continuing Education, Workforce Innovation and Adult Education into a unified force of collaboration and innovation through benchmarking. Learn how these diverse units are working toward standardizing reporting structures to drive strategic decision making. Presenters will share how they are leveraging benchmarking to enhance organizational effectiveness and showcase the tangible impact of programs and initiatives.

Leveraging Data to Close Institutional Equity Gaps

room: RC 238

Brittany Jackson Kairis - Associate Vice Chancellor, Decision Support - City Colleges of Chicago

In 2020, City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) set an ambitious goal to eliminate institutional equity gaps in student outcomes by 2032. This session will discuss how CCC uses data, including NCCBP peer comparisons, to inform our continuous improvement work.

Measuring Success: The Vital Role of Assessment in Student Affairs

room: RC 155

Renee Tastad - Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Enrollment Management - Holyoke Community College

Assessment is the cornerstone of effective student affairs practices, providing valuable insight into the impact of the programs and services we provide for students. This session aims to emphasize the importance of assessment in student affairs and the resulting impact on student success. Participants will learn how assessment, when done systematically, eases the burden of advocating for institutional resources. When done collaboratively, assessment breeds innovation, inclusion, and trust through transparency. In addition to gaining practical knowledge of assessment strategies in student affairs, participants will learn how to engage all levels of student affairs staff in assessing their work, sharing what they learn with colleagues, and drawing connections across many and varied departments and roles.

To ensure active engagement, this session will involve participants in a 10 min activity to:

1. identify or define a problem statement or inquiry of work in their own area
2. identify possible data sources relevant to their problem statement or inquiry
3. share with the room. A worksheet will be provided so that participants can return to their institutions ready to:
1. look at what the data tells them
2. outline the actions they are taking / will take / have taken relevant to the problem statement or inquiry
3. describe the intended or real outcome of the actions
4. create a SMART goal based to further guide their work

Presenting on Student Success for Boards of Trustees

room: RC 181

Catherine Trouth - Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Research - Central Wyoming College

Central Wyoming College prepares several monitoring reports each year to inform our Board of Trustees on how well we are meeting our mission and achieving our strategic plan goals.  Part of this reporting is on how well our students are meeting learning, graduation, and transfer outcomes.  This session will show how we use NCCBP data to benchmark our student outcomes on several measures compared to our peer colleges, both nationally and to other rural colleges.  This session also demonstrates using NCCBP data to compare against internal data to aid Board members to feel comfortable with our own internal assessments.

Panel Discussion: Fostering a Data-Driven Culture in Community Colleges

room: RC 183

Michael Taft - CEO - Zogotech
John Clayton - Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Research & Planning - Johnson County Community College
Dr. Scott Parke - Director Planning & Policy Analysis - Miami Dade College
Brittany Jackson Kairis - Associate Vice Chancellor, Decision Support - City Colleges of Chicago

Are you facing challenges in getting buy-in for data-driven decision-making at your institution? Join our expert panel of data leaders to explore the essential role of fostering a data culture within community colleges. This session will address common obstacles, share best practices, and highlight successful experiences in utilizing technology to improve student and institutional outcomes. Panelists will also discuss the positive results they've seen since adopting a data-driven culture. Learn how a robust culture of data can drive accountability, enhance equity, and propel your institution toward success.

Promoting Equity through Focused Student Success Initiatives

room: RC 181

Christopher Gilmer - Vice President for Social Justice/Founder - Tougaloo College/The National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students
Austin Grimmett - Lawyer/Former Student Government President - West Virginia Court of Appeals

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) programs are under fire nationwide, yet most colleges recognize the need to continue essential programming in support of their most vulnerable students. How can colleges keep this work alive and central to their mission when many local, state, and national policymakers are pushing in the other direction? This session will provide practical ideas for embedding the principles and goals of DEIB into academic, retention, and graduation outcomes for students, thus promoting the work within a context that is less assailable by political and cultural forces.

Navigating New Horizons: Collaborative Strategies for Workforce Innovation and Continuing Education in Community Colleges

room: RC 183

Dr. Fabiola Riobe - Vice President for Educational Innovation and Global Programming - Kansas City Kansas Community College
Dr. Richard Wallace Director - Adult and Continuing Education - Kansas City Kansas Community College
Richard Piper - Director of Technical Programs/KCKCC Liaison to the KC FAME Chapter - Kansas City Kansas Community College

In an era where the demand for adaptable, skilled labor is at an all-time high, community colleges play a pivotal role in shaping the workforce of tomorrow. This panel discussion will explore the dynamic synergy between workforce development, adult and continuing education, and apprenticeship programs in community colleges. By sharing insights and strategic frameworks, our session aims to enlighten participants on enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of their programs, aligning with the theme of "Community Colleges 2.0."

Objectives:

• To discuss innovative strategies in workforce development that meet evolving market demands.
• To explore the impact of continuous learning in adult education on career advancement and personal growth.
• To examine the role of apprenticeships in bridging the gap between education and industry needs.

The session, is designed as a panel discussion led by moderator- the VP of Educational Innovation and Global Programming. It will highlight the diverse and collaborative perspectives from three panelists.

Panelists:

1. Director engaged in Workforce Development - Discusses the latest trends in workforce training and the integration of emerging technologies.
2. Director of Adult and Continuing Education - Shares effective practices for engaging adult learners and facilitating lifelong learning pathways.
3. Associate Dean of Career and Technical Education - Outlines successful apprenticeship models that align technical skills with industry demands.

The moderator will provide a strategic overview of how these areas collaborate to drive the college's mission forward, setting the stage for a comprehensive discussion on integrated educational strategies.

The outcomes:
Participants will leave the session with actionable insights into developing more integrated and responsive educational programs that not only meet the immediate needs of local and regional employers but also address long-term career development for students.

Predictive Analytics: Leveraging Data to Enhance Enrollment and Student Success

room: RC 181

John Clayton - Executive Director, Institutional Effectiveness, Planning & Research - Johnson County Community College
Pete Belk - Director Recruitment & Enrollment Strategy - Johnson County Community College
Connor Nyberg - Manager Senior Business Analyst - Johnson County Community College
Alex Wells - Assistant Dean Counseling & New Student Retention - Johnson County Community College

In the last half-decade, JCCC pursued implementing cutting-edge predictive analytics to enhance student success. This presentation delves into scientific methods and models meticulously crafted, unearthing invaluable insights into student outcomes. These insights played a pivotal role in informing decisions regarding enrollment, advising, and other critical support services.

Power Up: Leveraging Students' Voices to Inform a Campus' Equity Plan

room: RC 183

Dr. Truman Hudson Jr. - Director of Research and Planning - Richard Daley College
Patricia Aumann - Interim Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs - Richard Daley College
Dr. Damyen Davis - Director of First Year Experience - Richard Daley College

Students are the primary beneficiaries of the programs, services and initiatives that community colleges design and offer. Thus, leveraging students' gifts, talents and voices is vital to ensuring that a community college's planned and existing programs, services and initiatives are in alignment with student and stakeholder needs, and designed to improve overall student success.

Pairing a qualitative research approach with existing quantitative data is a powerful tool for engaging campus constituents in mission and student-centered planning. Building on this ideology and the diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belongingness (DEIAB) action research framework that guided a qualitative study where students served as co-investigators, this interactive presentation will:

1. engage participants in a discussion on how to partner with community college students to serve as co-investigators in qualitative research;
2. provide participants with an overview of the data collection process, analysis and findings;
3. provide participants with a summary on how the data from the qualitative study were leveraged to inform and empower a community college's institutional research and practices germane to its equity plan;
4. identify potential pathways for future collaboration across community college campuses.

Advancing Beyond Scavenger Hunts and Data Silos: Institutional Data Needs Assessment for Central Document Depository Access

room: RC 175

Josephine Kershaw, Ph.D. - Dean of Institutional Effectiveness & Equity - Jefferson College

Since documents and data need to be organized and accessible for accreditation, assessment, and integrated strategic planning purposes, Jefferson College assembled a campus-wide task force to determine the most effective way to accomplish this key task. This session will provide an overview of the process, the decision rubrics, internal capabilities and external vendor options considered, as well as the framework for implementation for the selected system.

Using Generative AI to Build Confidence in First-Year Writing Students

room: RC 181

Yasminda Choate - Associate Professor of English/ Coordinator of Distance Education - Seminole State College (OK)

This session will include information about first-year writing students and the lack of preparedness we see in two-year institutions. Using ChatGPT and other generative AI tools (built into Grammarly, Microsoft Edge, etc.), many of these students are able to increase their confidence in their writing skills. Some quotes from my own students include, "It's like having a tutor next to me while I write." Obviously, generative AI can also be used to plagiarize, so the session includes tips to identify AI-written essays and tips to guide students away from these unproductive uses of the technology.

Here's Your Keys, Good Luck: Successful Onboarding of CTE Faculty

room: RC 175

Dimitria Harding - Interim Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs - Anoka Technical College

Instructors in CTE programs work with a distinct population of students who benefit most from a hands-on approach and are more likely to succeed if they are properly trained and motivated. The author created a basic introductory training for postsecondary institutions to use when recruiting and onboarding new, diverse CTE instructors with little to no classroom teaching experience.

Objectives for this Presentation

1. Discuss what can be included in new postsecondary CTE instructor onboarding
2. Determine what successful onboarding looks like
3. Align successful onboarding with CTE recruitment and retention

Using Data to Create and Evaluate Strategic Enrollment Plans

room: RC 181

Catherine Trouth - Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Research - Central Wyoming College

Central Wyoming College (CWC) is in the process of implementing its second 5-year Strategic Enrollment (SEM) plan. This session will show how the NCCBP data helped the SEM committee evaluate the success of goals in the first 5-year plan, then identify areas where the second plan needed to focus. NCCBP data also helped CWC to identify areas where more data was needed before finalizing the current 5-year plan.