Annual Unit Planning

Annual Unit (Integrated) Planning at Grossmont College

Integrated planning at Grossmont College links outcomes assessment, program review, annual unit planning, and resource allocation in an effort to move the college forward in achieving its strategic goals and mission. Integrated planning is facilitated by the Office of College Planning & Institutional Effectiveness and the College's processes are in accordance with ACCJC Standard I.B.9.

ACCJC Standard I.B.9 states that, "The institution engages in continuous, broad based, systematic evaluation and planning. The institution integrated program review, planning, and resource allocation into a comprehensive process that leads to accomplishment of its mission and improvement of institutional effectiveness and academic quality. Institutional planning addresses short- and long-range needs for educational programs and services and for human, physical, technology, and financial resources" (ER 19).

(Source: Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges)

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Guiding Principles for Integrated Planning

Grossmont College's Office of College Planning & Institutional Effectiveness has adopted the same guiding principles promoted by the Society for College and University Planning {SCUP). SCUP describes how when done well integrated planning is:

Sustainable: It builds a culture of planning that is durable and brings focus to institutional progress and student success.
Collaborative: It engages stakeholders so that everyone with a stake in the institution is invested in the success of the institution.
Aligned: It aligns efforts across the institution: up, down, and sideways. It links
planning to resource allocation and to assessment, so goals and initiatives have the resources they need to be achieved and progress can be measured.
Change-ready: Institutions with integrated planning processes are poised to respond to
a volatile environment.

(Source: The Society for College and University Planning)

Integrated Planning Processes

Integrated planning at Grossmont College consists of the following processes:

Outcomes Assessment: All planning (both program review and annual unit planning) begins with the analysis of data, including course-, program-, and/or unit-level outcomes assessment results. Instructional units assess over a six-year cycle, student services units assess over a three-year cycle, and administrative services units assess annually.

Program Review: The program review process involves assessing unit-level performance and developing unit-level plans needed for continuous improvement. A comprehensive program review is completed every six years for instructional units and every three years for student services unit. The program review process includes reflection on progress made over the course of the cycle as well as identifying plans/actions for the next cycle. Program-level planning units are grouped into cohorts which participate in self-evaluation during an assigned planning year within their respective cycle. The program review processes are coordinated through the Academic Program Review committee for instructional units, the Student Services Program Review committee for student services units, and the Administrative Services Council for administrative services. At the end of the program review process, each planning unit presents highlights of their program review to the Planning & Institutional Effectiveness Council as well as to a broader audience at the Spring Annual Planning Forum.

Annual Unit Planning: Annual unit planning is conducted each fall and serves as the first step in the annual resource allocation and prioritization process. For program-level planning units, annual unit planning advances the program review objectives and plan for continuous improvement into action. Annual unit planning identifies the specific action steps the planning intends to take during the upcoming year after analyzing the results of outcomes. A critical step in ensuring that this planning is actionable is to identify the resources (human/staffing, physical/facilities, technology, and equipment/supplies) needed to carry out goals and objectives.

Resource Allocation: The annual resource allocation and prioritization process is intended to ensure that the resources of the college (including human resources, physical/facilities resources, technology resources, etc.) are allocated in direct support of the institutional goals and objectives. The annual resource allocation process commences upon the completion of annual unit plans in the fall, and the annual unit plans are used to inform the resource allocation process. Requests for resources (human/staffing, physical/facilities, technology, and equipment/supplies) are submitted to the appropriate participatory governance committee for prioritization.

Evaluation of Integrated Planning at Grossmont College

The college's integrated planning processes are regularly reviewed by the Planning & Institutional Effectiveness Committee (PIEC), one of the college's participatory governance committees. This is in alignment with Board and Administrative Policy 3225 which requires that:

The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Office (District) and Colleges, through established committees with representation from faculty, administration, classified professionals, and students, will review and recommend planning decisions

Resources

Grossmont College Annual Unit Planning Handbook (PDF)

The Annual Unit Plan (AUP) templates provided here are for reference only. These templates are now housed in Nuventive Improve--our college-wide, online data collection system-- and all units will submit their annual unit plans, assessment results, and program review documents using Nuventive Improve.