2006 Report to the Faculty Senate

From the Office of Continuous Quality
Improvement & Planning
April 2006

The University of Alabama has completed eight years of the Continuous
Quality Improvement initiative.  Current CQIP activities can be organized
into six categories:

1. Facilitation of campus-wide projects to enhance teaching.
2. Facilitation of strategic planning for the University, Colleges, and Departments.
3. Facilitation of surveys, focus groups, secret shopper programs, and audits to support improvement activities by academic and administrative organizations.
4. Leadership Development.
5. Facilitation of teams working on campus-wide and organization-specific projects to enhance performance and accountability.
6. Service and outreach activities consistent with the University’s mission.

A summary of CQIP activities in these six areas over the past year shows a wide range of activities and progress.

Facilitation of campus-wide projects to enhance teaching.

1. The CQIP office is providing follow-up to the University’s Quality Enhancement      Plan (QEP) activities which are an accreditation commitment to the Southern   Association of Colleges and Universities.  The University’s QEP focuses on   enhancing the level of active and collaborative learning approaches in first-year classes. 
2. The CQIP Office continued to facilitate the meetings of the Scholarship of Teaching team throughout the 2005 – 2006 academic year.
3. The Scholarship of Teaching team organized the Exploring Excellence in Teaching Week program that provided ten seminars and workshops to faculty in February, 2006.  Many of these sessions were digitally recorded and are available to faculty at http://www.teaching.ua.edu.
4. The CQIP Office provided staff support in the 2005 – 2006 academic year to a faculty teaching support program that assists faculty in developing teaching portfolios, in obtaining mid-semester feedback from students on classes, and in providing faculty with CD recordings of classroom lectures.
5. The CQIP Office organized an activity to link the University of Alabama with the Professional and Organizational (POD) Network, conducted benchmarking studies of faculty development programs at Vanderbilt University and Clemson
   University, and worked on the establishment of an Office of Teaching Excellence for the fall of 2006. 
6. Working with the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, the CQIP Office     conducted an assessment of the current approaches for orienting and preparing  new adjunct faculty members for their teaching responsibilities.
7. The CQIP Office provided support for a National Science Foundation grant proposal in the fall of 2005 for a program focused on enhancing the success of women faculty in math, engineering, and the sciences.
8. The CQIP Office is currently providing support for the development of a National Science Foundation grant for re-designing first-year electrical engineering courses to take advantage of the body of knowledge regarding student learning styles.

Facilitation of strategic planning for the University, Colleges, and Departments

1. In preparation for the Student Health Center’s re-accreditation process, the CQIP Office facilitated the development of a new strategic plan for the student health center.
2. The CQIP Office facilitated a strategic planning process for the faculty in the Human Development and Family Development program in the College of Human Environmental Sciences.
3. In response to a request from the State of Alabama’s Budget Office, the CQIP Office participated in the State’s pilot Smart Budget process to show alignment between the University’s mission and strategies with state priorities.
4. The CQIP Office conducted a strategic planning retreat for the senior staff at the Law School.
5. The CQIP Office worked with senior staff in Student Affairs and in Financial Affairs to review their strategic plans and provide alignment with the University’s strategic plan.

Facilitation of surveys, focus groups, secret shopper programs, and audits to support improvement activities by academic and administrative organizations.

1. The CQIP Office has just completed conducting a survey of faculty regarding their views about the Tuscaloosa community.  This survey was conducted in order to provide baseline data to assess the results of the Creative Campus initiative.  A report will be prepared and provided to the Faculty Senate during the summer.
2. The CQIP Office has just completed the data collection phase for its fourth major student opinion survey.  This survey provides student feedback on a wide variety of academic and administrative activities across the campus.  A report will be generated this summer and will be provided to the Faculty Senate. 
3. At the request of the African American Studies Program, the CQIP Office conducted a focus group with students participating in that program.
4. At the request of University Libraries, the CQIP Office assisted with a focus group of faculty in the College of Education to assess faculty satisfaction with the McClure Library.
5. In collaboration with the Graduate School, the CQIP Office conducted a focus group of Graduate Teaching Assistants to assess the effectiveness of the fall GTA training workshop.
6. At the request of Student Affairs, the CQIP Office conducted a focus group with staff who were involved with Parent Orientation in the summer of 2005 to assess the conduct of the program and to identify opportunities for further enhancements.
7. Working with students from the Operations Management program in the College of Commerce and Business Administration, the CQIP Office conducted secret shopper activities for Bama Dining, Crimson Copies, University Recreation, and the University Supply Store.
8. As part of the University’s conformance to federal regulations for privacy of medical records, the CQIP Office conducted audits of HIPAA compliance at the Brewer Porch Center, Speech and Hearing Clinic, and University Medical Center.

Leadership Development

1. The CQIP Office continued to facilitate the Leadership Academy throughout the 2006 – 2006 academic year and graduated the participants of the Academy’s second cohort in April, 2006.  An evaluation process for applicants for the third Leadership Academy cohort, which will begin in fall of 2006, are now underway.
2. The CQIP Office coordinated a series of orientation sessions for new academic department chairs in the fall of 2005.
3. The CQI Office conducted a planning and creative thinking program with administrators in the College of Community Health Sciences.
4. CQI Staff served as instructors in the College of Education’s Leadership Academy for Community Colleges and in the University of Alabama’s Management Project organized by Human Resource Development.
5. CQI staff participated as an instructor in the Alabama Bar Association’s annual Leadership Development program.

Facilitation of teams working on campus-wide and organization-specific projects to enhance performance and accountability.

1. Working in collaboration with Student Affairs and the Student Health Center in the College of Community Health Sciences, the CQI Office has provided facilitation for seven joint faculty-staff working groups that have been assessing student health issues.  These working groups have examined issues related to alcohol and drug use, tobacco, eating disorders, nutrition, sexual behavior, finance and debt issues, and student mental health issues.  A set of recommendations from these seven working groups has been reviewed by the Vice President for Student Affairs and will be reviewed by the Provost in late April, 2006.
2. The CQI Office facilitated a team drawn from multiple organizations to examine and correct problems related to the cancellation of students’ spring schedules due to complications associated with receiving student fees.
3. CQI staff provided assistance to staff in the Advancement organization in their review of process for organizing and awarding alumni scholarships to students.
4. The CQI Office is providing support to a current project to move the University toward achieving Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) accreditation for the Institutional Review Board at The University of Alabama.
5. The CQI Office has provided support for reviewing the progress on the project plan for Banner implementation.
6. The CQI Office provided support to administrators in the College of Nursing in developing creative approaches to accommodating a significant increase in the number of students enrolled in the College of Nursing.

Service and outreach activities consistent with the University’s mission.

1. The CQI Office provided facilitation support to the University’s Committee on Committees in 2005 – 2006.
2. CQI staff provided facilitation support for a strategic planning activity for the Alabama Blue’s Project.
3. CQI staff provided facilitation for a team-building program for the Turning Point Women’s Center.
4. CQI staff provided support for the annual Alabama Quality Award program and the Alabama Technology Network’s Manufacturer of the Year Award program.
5. The CQI Office continues to work with faculty and community mental health leaders in the Mental Health Outreach Partnership to develop opportunities for collaboration.  This year’s activities focused on partnering with the West Alabama Mental Health Center in Demopolis in submitting a proposal for federal funding to support a pilot program to assist mental health centers and hospitals in providing enhanced care to high-risk consumers.

In addition to these activities, the CQIP Office was pleased to feature Ms. Molly Nearing, from the Binghamton University (SUNY), as the featured speaker at Quality Forum 8 in October, 2005.