REPORTOFTHEWSCUCTEAM

FORREAFFIRMATIONOFACCREDITATION

HAWAI’IPACIFICUNIVERSITY

February2–5,2016

TeamRoster

MichaelL.Jackson,VicePresidentEmeritusandProfessorof

HigherEducation,UniversityofSouthernCalifornia;Chair

RichardC.Giardina,Trustee,CaliforniaInstituteofIntegralStudiesand

NotreDamedeNamurUniversity;AssistantChair

JannaBersi,Professor,DivisionofGraduateEducation,CollegeofEducation,

CaliforniaStateUniversity,DominguezHills

ElizabethGriego,Principal,ElizabethGriegoandAssociates

PeterA.Michell,VicePresidentofFinance,SaintMary’sCollegeofCalifornia

EleanorDantzlerSiebert,ProfessorEmerita,MountSaintMary’sUniversity

RichardOsborn,VicePresident,WSCUC;StaffLiaison

Theteamevaluatedtheinstitutionunderthe2013Standardsof

Accreditationandpreparedthisreportcontainingitscollective

evaluationforconsiderationandactionbytheinstitutionandbythe

WSCUCSeniorCollegeandUniversityCommission(WSCUC).The

formalactionconcerningtheinstitution’sstatusistakenbythe

CommissionandisdescribedinaletterfromtheCommissiontothe

institution.ThisreportandtheCommissionletteraremadeavailable

tothepublicbypublicationontheWSCUCwebsite.

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

COMPONENT1:RESPONSETOCOMMISSIONRECOMMENDATIONS

ANDTEAMPROCESS……………………………………………………………………5

COMPONENT2:COMPLIANCEWITHTHESTANDARDS………………………………………….7

COMPONENT3:DEGREEPROGRAMS…………………………………………………………………..14

COMPONENT4:EDUCATIONALQUALITY…………………………………………………………….17

COMPONENT5:STUDENTSUCCESS……………………………………………………………………..19

COMPONENT6:QUALITYASSURANCEANDIMPROVEMENT………………………………..26

COMPONENT7:SUSTAINABILITY……………………………………………………………………….28

CONCLUSION,COMMENDATIONS,ANDRECOMMENDATIONS………………………………33

APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………………………………………..39

A. FEDERALCOMPLIANCEFORMS1. CREDITHOURREVIEW2. MARKETINGANDRECRUITMENTREVIEW3. STUDENTCOMPLAINTSREVIEW4. TRANSFERCREDITPOLICYREVIEW

B. OFF-CAMPUSLOCATIONSC. DISTANCEEDUCATION

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Introduction InstitutionalContext:Hawai’iPacificUniversityisanindependent,notforprofit,

co-educational,comprehensiveUniversitywithaliberalartsemphasis.Itislocatedonthe

islandofO’ahuinHawai’iwithmorethan6,000undergraduateandgraduatestudents.It

receivedfullaccreditationfromtheWASCSeniorCollegeandUniversityCommission

(WSCUC)in1973andhasremainedcontinuallyaccredited.AnindependentBoardof

Trusteescomprisedofcommunityandbusinessleadersgovernsit.

OriginallyfoundedasHawai’iPacificCollegein1965,itachievedUniversitystatusin

1990withadditionalacademicprogramsandanincreaseinstudentenrollment,faculty,

andstaff.In1992,Hawai’iLoaCollegemergedwithHawai’iPacificUniversity.Shortly

thereafter,theUniversityenteredintoanaffiliationwiththeOceanicInstitute(OI),thereby

providingHPUwiththeopportunitytostrengthenitsacademicandresearchopportunities

inthefieldsofmarinebiologyandoceanstudies.OIbecameintegratedintoHPUasof

January2014asaresearchandteachingunit.Additionally,academicprogramsareoffered

atsixmilitarybasesontheislandthroughaService-membersOpportunityColleges(SOC)

designation.HPUhasseveralleasedbuildingsindowntownHonoluluinthebusinessand

governmentdistrictandaruralcampusonthewindwardsideoftheisland.

AsquotedfromtheUniversity’sownwords,HPU’smissionistobe:

”…aninternationallearningcommunitysetintherichculturalcontextofHawaii.

StudentsfromaroundtheworldjoinusforanAmericaneducationbuiltonaliberal

artsfoundation.Ourinnovativeundergraduateandgraduatestudentsanticipatethe

changingneedsofthecommunityandprepareourgraduatestolive,work,andlearn

asactivemembersofaglobalsociety.”

HPU’svisionistobe:

“…consistentlyrankedamongtheUnitedStates’stoptenWestern,independent,

comprehensiveuniversities,leveragingitsgeographicpositionbetweenthe

WesternandEasternhemispheresanditsrelationshipsaroundthePacificRimto

deliveraneducationalexperiencethatisdistinctamongAmericancampuses.”

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TheUniversityhashadfourpresidents,includingChattWright,whoservedinthis

rolefor38years.GeoffreyBannister,whowasappointedinJanuary2011,followedhim.

JohnGotanda,thecurrentdeanoftheVillanovaUniversityLawSchoolinPhiladelphia,will

succeedDr.BannisterinJuly2016.

InJanuary2013,theAlohaTowerDevelopmentCorporation(ATDC)consentedto

theUniversity’sownershipandmanagementoftheAlohaTowerMarketplace(ATM).The

approvalspassedbyATDCwereessentialtoHawai'iPacific’splantomoveforwardin

redevelopingtheMarketplaceintoamixed-usepropertyfeaturingacentrallocationforits

administrativeoperations,studenthousing,retailanddiningbusinesses,community

gatheringspaces,classrooms,studentsupportservices,lounges,classrooms,and

bookstore.

HPUoffersundergraduatedegreesincludingAssociateofArtsandAssociateof

Sciencedegreesinsixareas,aBachelorofArtswithmajorsin16areas,aBachelorof

Sciencewithmajorsin13areas,aBachelorofSocialWork,andaBachelorofEducationin

ElementaryEducation.Inaddition,HPUoffers14graduatedegreesincludingMasterof

ArtsandMasterofSciencedegreesintenareasofstudy,aMasterofBusiness

Administration,aMasterofSocialWork,aMasterofEducationinbothElementaryand

SecondaryEducation,aswellasjointgraduatedegrees[MSN/MBA],andgraduateand

undergraduatecertificates.Coursesaredeliveredface-to-face,hybrid,andonlineatthe

maindowntowncampus,Hawai’iLoacampus,theOceanicInstitute,andthevarious

militarybases.

Enrollmentandenrollment-relatedrevenuesarethelifebloodofHPU.Nettuition

andfeesrevenuehasconsistentlycomprisedapproximately80%oftheUniversity’stotal

operatingrevenuesoverthepastfivefiscalyears.Changesinenrollmentandenrollment-

relatedrevenue,therefore,havesignificantimpactontheUniversity’slong-termfinancial

sustainability.

OperatingdeficitsthathavefollowedtheUniversity’sdeclinesinenrollmentover

thelastfiveyearsareevidenceofthisimpact.Atthesametime,non-operatingactivities

havebeennegativelyimpactedbydeclinesininvestmentmarketvalues,costsassociated

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withtheOceanicInstitute,andcostsrelatedtothepurchase,renovation,andoperationof

theAlohaTowerMarketplacecampus.

Thesedynamicshaveresultedinsignificantlayoffs,theeliminationofunfilled

positions,andothercostcuttingmeasuresthathaveseverelystressedtheUniversity

community.Administrativeleaders,deans,faculty,andstaffarenowworkingtorestore

institutionalstabilitywithinanoverallorganizationthathasbeenreducedbyalmostone-

quartersince2012.Notsurprisingly,however,communicationandtrustissueshave

surfacedattheUniversityasaresultoftheswiftexecutiveactionstocutthebudget.

Despitethesefinancialchallenges,theinstitutionhasbeenusingthe2012-2017Strategic

PlanandaCampusMasterPlanthatwasestablishedin2014tohelpguideitsinstitutional

decision-making.

AccreditationHistory:TheaccreditationoftheUniversitywaslastconfirmedin

2005foraten-yearperiod.ANovember1,2010interimreportwasrequestedtoaddress

therecommendationsofthe2005Commissionactionletter,includingaddressing

presidentialandleadershiptransitionsandimplementationofthethenStrategicPlan.The

reportwassubmittedtoWSCUC,andtheInterimReportCommitteepanelcommended

HPUforitsworkinpreparingtheUniversityforthetransitiontotheleadershipof

PresidentBannister.Thepresidentatthetime,ChattWright,feltthatthedevelopmentand

implementationofanewStrategicPlanshouldfallunderthepurviewofthenewpresident.

TheCommissionagreedandrequestedthatHPUprovideanotherinterimreportinspring

2013thatfocusedonthedevelopmentandimplementationofthenewplan.Theinterim

reportwassubmittedtoWSCUConMarch15,2013.ItdescribedthenewStrategicPlanfor

theUniversityandtheimplementationofthatplan.

Component1:ResponsetoCommissionRecommendationsandTeamProcess

ResponsetoCommissionRecommendations:TheCommissionmadefive

recommendationsrelatedtotheStrategicPlanandaskedthatHPUrespondtothese

recommendationsintheself-studyfortheReaffirmationofAccreditationOffsiteReview

thatwasheldinspring2015.TherecommendationscenteredonrequestingHPUto

providemoredetailsaboutmetricsforthegoalsandobjectivesunderthe“pillars”ofthe

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StrategicPlan;thecosts,andboththesourcesandtheplans,foracquiringthenecessary

resources(human,technological,physical,andfinancial);howtheOceanicInstituteand

militaryprogramsfitintothelong-termplanningforHPUandtheirrespective

relationshipswithundergraduateandgraduateeducation;strengtheninginstitutional

researchandinformationtechnologyfunctions;andstrongerdelineationofadmission,

enrollment,retention,andgraduationgoalsinbothqualitativeandquantitativeterms.The

institutionrespondeddirectlytoeachrecommendation.Theresponseswereprovidedin

thecontextoftheseverefinancialproblemsthatwerebeingconfrontedbytheUniversity.

TeamProcess.Theteamconductedanoff-sitereviewonApril20,2015,which

includedaphoneconversationwithHPU’spresident,provost,andotheradministrative

leaders.TheteamdevelopedlinesofinquirybasedontheWSCUCtemplateandfocusedon

evaluatingtheinstitutionalreportintermsoftheWSCUCStandardsandCriteriaFor

Review.

Theoff-sitereviewwasbasedontheInstitutionalReportforReaffirmationof

Accreditationprovidedbytheinstitutionandsupplementaryinformationregarding

finances(includingauditedstatementsandreportstobondholders),academicprograms,

enrollment,budgetcuts,stafflayoffs,andoff-siteanddistanceeducationprograms.The

report,whilewrittenundertheauspicesofthepresident,provost,andALO,involved

contributionsfromfaculty,staff,anddeansasappropriate.Theteamfoundthereporttobe

inclosealignmentwithitsfindingsfromin-depthconversationswithvariousUniversity

constituenciesduringtheon-sitevisit.

ThereportdescribedindetailtheUniversity’sprogressaswellaschallengesin

academicandadministrativeareas.Italsoreviewedthefinancialchallengesandbudget

deficitstheinstitutionhasbeencopingwithsince2012,andthestepsithastakento

stabilizethebudget,increaseenrollment,andmovethefocusoftheUniversityfromamore

isolatedcampusinaruralpartoftheislandtoadowntownHonolululocationnear

governmentoffices,thebusinesscommunity,andmajortransportationroutes.Thereport

alsoidentifiedsignificantproblemswithcommunicationandthemoraleofthefacultyand

staffasaresultofthebudgetcuttingandlayoffs.

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Theon-sitereviewoccurredonFebruary2-5,2016andincludedtoursofHPU’s

mainsitesforteachingandresearch.TheteamvisitedtheOceanicInstitute,theHawai’i

Loacampus,amilitarybase,theAlohaTowerMarketplace(ATM),andprogramsofferedin

nearbydowntownofficebuildings.Overthecourseofthreefulldays,meetingswereheld

withUniversityexecutiveleaders,programandofficeadministrators,trustees,faculty,

staff,students,deans,anddepartmentchairs.Theteamalsoreviewedseveralemailssent

totheconfidentialemailaccount.Itconcludedwithanexitmeetingthatwasattendedby

nearlytwohundredmembersoftheUniversitycommunity.

Component2.CompliancewiththeStandards

ReviewunderWSCUCStandardsandCompliancewithFederalRequirements

Standard1:DefiningInstitutionalPurposesandEnsuringEducational

Objectives.TheinstitutionisincompliancewithStandardOnewithrespecttoTrustee-

approvedstatementsofpurposeandexpressionofvaluesandcharacterthatare

appropriateforaninstitutionofitstypeinhighereducation.Theyarepublishedonthe

institutionalwebsite.Itsacademicareasandrelatedprogramsareappropriatelyorganized

forHPUtofulfillitsstatedpurpose.Whilestaffingissuespresentdifficultiesinimproving

howitevaluatesandmakespublicrelevantdataaboutstudentachievement,theinstitution

hasmadeappropriateinformationpublic.Ithasclearlyarticulatedstatementson

academicfreedomforfacultyandstudentsandamissionstatementthatdescribesthe

purposesoftheinstitutionandhowitcontributestothepublicgood.Itisaverydiverse

academiccommunity,asitsfaculty,staff,andstudentscomefromHawai’i,themainlandof

theUnitedStates,anddifferentcountriesaroundtheworld.(CRFs1.1,1.2,1.,31.4)

EventhoughHPUhascontractualrelationshipswithstategovernmentandthe

military,itisautonomousfromthoseentitiesandcarriesoutitsfunctionsandpurposes

independently.Theinstitution’sacademicgoals,programs,services,andcoststostudents

andtothelargerpublicaretransparent.Academicprogramscanbecompletedinatimely

fashion.Duringthelastcoupleofyears,whiletheUniversityhasbeenstrugglingfinancially

andhashaddifficultyprovidingsomecoursesstudentsneedtograduate,ithasallowed

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exceptionstosomerequirementssostudentscouldcompletetheirprogramsonatimely

basis.(CFRs1.5,1.6)

AnindependentandqualifiedaccountingfirmauditsHPU’sfinancesregularly.The

Universityhasstruggledlately,becauseoffinancialproblems,tobeasefficient,

transparent,andopenassomefacultyandstaffwouldlike,becauseithaslaidoffmany

staff,eliminatedopenpositions,andreducedothernon-personneladministrativecosts.

Someofthishadtodowithlegalprocedures,protectingtheprivacyofindividuals,andthe

timingandthefluidnatureofthedecisions,particularlypersonnelones.

TheUniversityprovidedWSCUCwithallrequestedinformationonatimelybasis.It

hasupdatedWSCUCstaffandtheteamonthechallengesitisfacingwithinstitutional

finances,enrollment,planning,facilitiesrelocations,etc.(CFRs1.7,1.8)

Standard2:AchievingEducationalObjectivesThroughCoreFunctions.HPU

hasappropriatestandardsofperformanceforthethreelevelsofacademicdegreesitoffers:

associate,bachelor’s,andmaster’s.(CFR2.1,2.2)TheseprogramsconformtoWSCUC

policiesandaresubjecttoregularpeerreviewonafive-yearcycle.Theyensurethe

developmentofcorecompetencies,whichhavebeenadoptedasInstitutionalLearning

Outcomes.TheseILOsarebeingalignedwithProgramLearningOutcomes(PLOs)andare

intheprocessofbeingassessedthroughanew,redesignedprogramofGeneralEducation.

(CFR2.2a,2.2b)

Expectationsforstudentlearninghavebeendevelopedbyfacultyandarepublished

intheCatalogaswellasontheHPUwebsite.(CFR2.3,2.4,2.5)Programlearning

outcomes,aswellascourselearningoutcomes,areembeddedincoursecontentand

assessedbyfaculty.(CFR2.5,2.6)Theprogramreviewprocessincludesanalysesof

studentlearningandretentionandgraduationrates.Allacademicprogramsundergoan

externalreviewduringtheformalreviewprocess.(CFR2.7)

Facultydevelopmentopportunitieshaverecentlybeenexpandeddespite

institutionalfiscalrestraints.Paidprofessionalleaves,reducedteachingassignmentsfor

scholarlyactivities,and(limited)travelsupportforprofessionalconferencesarenowbeing

provided.Inaddition,HPUhassupportedtheattendanceofitsfacultyatWSCUC

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workshopsandconferences.(CFR2.8,2.9)TheOceanicInstituteprovidesexpanded

researchopportunitiesforbothfacultyandstudents.

HPUdisaggregatesdataandbenchmarksitsretentionandgraduationratesagainst

itsownaspirationsandthoseofpeerinstitutions.Itassessesacademicaswellasco-

curricularprogramsinordertoprovideforcontinuousimprovement.(CFR2.10,2.11)

Informationaboutadmissions,degreerequirements,courseofferings,andcostsare

publishedintheCatalogand/oronthewebsite.WhiletheCatalogneedstobeupdatedin

termsofcoursesthatarenolongerbeingtaught,studentshaveaccesstoallotherrelevant

information.(CFR2.12)Partofthisinformationisconveyedtostudentsthrough

centralizedacademicadvisingservices.Whiletheseservicesarenowcentralizedthrough

theAdvisingOffice,trainedadvisorsfromthatofficeareembeddedwithinprograms.

RecentchangesinGEandprogramrequirementshavemadeaccurateadvisingofstudents

difficult.Thesecentralizedadvisingservicesarecriticalfortransferstudentssothe

transferprocessdoesnotundulydisadvantagethem.(CFR2.14)

Learningandstudentsupportservicesincludetutoring,careercounseling,andjob

placementservices.HPUprovidesbothonlineandface-to-facetutoringservices,andin

2012HPUlaunchedaPeerAcademicCoachProgramaspartofitsStudentSuccess

initiatives.Theinstitutionprovidesinternshipopportunitiestogivestudentshands-on

learningandtoenablethemtobuildprofessionalnetworks.

Standard3:DevelopingandApplyingResourcesandOrganizational

StructurestoEnsureQualityandSustainability.HPUisatuition-dependentinstitution

withover80%ofitstotalrevenuegeneratedfromtuitionandfees.Diversificationand

identificationofnewrevenuestreamscoupledwithincreasingenrollmentlevels,especially

forfirst-timefreshmanstudents,aswellasdevelopmentofselectedgraduateprograms,

remainstheprimaryfocus.SucheffortsincludeidentifyingsynergiesfromtheOceanic

Institute(OI),strengtheningfundraising,developingnewprograms,andleveragingthe

AlohaTowerMarketplace(ATM)developmentwhichsomeconsidercontentiousand

problematic.Effectiveimplementationoftheseorotheralternatives,however,isessential

toensuringfuturefinancialviabilityandsustainability.HPU’sself-reviewofStandard3and

furtherdiscussionintheSustainabilitysectionofthisreportconfirmthattheinstitution

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needstocontinueexercisingdeliberateanddiligentfiscaldisciplineandoverall

institutionalplanningtoachievelong-termfinancialsustainability.(CFR3.4,4.6,4.7)

FormationoftheBudgetPriorityTaskForcein2015resultedinanewstructurefor

anengagedandcollaborativedecision-makingprocess,aswellasaprocessfor

disseminationofbudgetandfinancialinformationtothecampuscommunity.(CFR4.6)

However,allofthesharedgovernancecommittees,includingtheBudgetPrioritization

Committee(formerlyBudgetPrioritiesTaskForce)areintheirinfancyandhaveonlyhad

somepreliminarymeetingswithnospecificactionsthisyear.Theprimaryfocusofthe

resourceallocationprocessiscurrentlyonimprovingthestudentexperienceand

increasingenrollmentlevels.Lackofsufficientfinancialresourcesatthistimemandatesan

approachofprioritizationandreallocationofexistingresourcesratherthanallocationof

newfunding.

TheHPUBoardofTrusteesexercisesappropriateoversightoverinstitutional

integrity,polices,andongoingoperations,includinghiringandevaluatingthechief

executiveofficer.(CFR3.9,4.6)Duringthelastfiveyears,theBoarddemonstratedthatitis

fullyengagedwithandversedintheinstitution’sissuesandchallenges.(1.5,3.4,4.6)Its

decisiveactionshaveresultedinanumberofsubstantiveimprovements,includingthe

relocationtoATM,themergerwithOI,andthetimelycompletionofthepresidential

search,tonameafew.TheBoard’scontinuingroleinimplementingthestrategicand

masterplansremainsessentialtotheUniversity’sabilitytoachievelong-terminstitutional

andfinancialstability.AstheBoardmembershipcontinuestoexpand,itisalsoimportant

toincreaseitsdiversitytoensureanappropriateresponsetotheincreasingdiversityinthe

institutionandtheHonolulucommunityandreflectitsguardianshipoftheinstitution’s

mission.(CFR1.4)

ImplementationofthenewFacultyHandbookin2014allowedforsomesubstantive

improvementsinfacultyrecruitment,workload,incentives,evaluationpractices,and

sharedgovernance.(CFR3.2,3.7,3.10,4.3,4.4,4.6)Forexample,facultyteaching

workloadshavebeenadjustedtoallowforcontributiontoscholarshipandcreative

activities,therebystrengtheningtheinstitutionalfocusontheteacher-scholarmodel.(CFR

2.8,2.9)Inadditiontotheexistingend-of-termstudentevaluationofteaching,a

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department-basedpeerreviewevaluationprocesshasbeenimplemented.Facultyineach

unitalsodevelopedspecificreappointmentandpromotioncriteria.TheOfficeof

SponsoredProjectshasbecomemoreproactiveinassistingfacultywiththeirgrantsand

researchefforts.

Throughoutthevisit,theHPUcommunity,andespeciallyitsstaffmembers,

expressedanxietyaboutthefinancialpositionoftheUniversity,lackofclearinformation

andcommunicationaboutpastandfuturedirections,andlackofopportunitiestoengagein

collaborativeplanning,consultation,anddecision-making.(CFR3.4,3.7,4.6)Ahighlevelof

layoffsandvoluntaryleave-takingwithinmanyUniversityareas(e.g.,humanresources,

informationtechnologyservices,institutionalresearch,finance,advising,studentservices,

etc.)hasalsocontributedtolowmorale,increasedworkloads,inconsistentandunclear

businesspractices,andasenseofinstability.(CFR1.7,3.1,3.2,3.8)AsHPUattemptsto

makesubstantiveimprovementstostabilizeandstrengthenallofitsstrategicareasand

functions,achievingfinancialstabilityremainsparamount.Itwillthusbenecessaryforthe

institutiontoaccelerateitsexistingstrategiesandformulatenewonestoaccomplishand

maintainlong-termfinancialsustainabilityatthesametimethatitaddressesthecampus

climateoffearanduncertainty.(CFR3.4,4.7)

Althoughinitsinfancy,asystemofsharedgovernanceencompassingsix

committeestoengagefaculty,staff,students,andadministratorsinStrategicPlanningand

institutionaldecision-makinghasbeenestablished.AStaffCouncilto“provideavoicefor

HPU’sstafftoaddresstheirconcerns,”withaspecialfocusonstaffretentionandissues

relatedtoemployeejobsatisfactionwascreatedinFebruary2015.Basedonconversations

withstaffandothers,itappearsthatthisStaffCouncil,althoughstilldeveloping,isona

pathtomakesomesubstantiveimprovementsintheseareas.Itisclear,however,that

muchworkremainstobedoneinorderforHPUtodevelopsystemsandprocessesthatwill

ultimatelyresultinanorganizationalcultureoftimely,consistent,andtransparent

communicationengagingallUniversitystakeholders.(CFR3.7,4.6)

TheSelf-ReviewUndertheStandardsdocumentcompletedbyHPUindicatedthat

facultyandstaffdevelopmentactivities,designedtoimproveteaching,learning,and

assessmentoflearningoutcomes,andinformationandtechnologyresourcesareamong

thoseitemsdesignatedasbeingmostinneedofimprovement.(CFR3.3,3.5)Fundingfor

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staffprofessionaldevelopmentandtrainingislimited,givenHPU’scurrentfinancial

constraintsexacerbatedbyhighstaffandadministratorturnover.(CFR3.3,3.4)The

University,however,makesanefforttooffercompetitivegrantsforresearchandcreative

activitytofaculty.Althoughsomefacultyindicatedthatfundingfortraveltoparticipateand

presentinconferencesandsymposiahasbeenreduced,theFacultyDevelopmentGrants

budgethasbeenrecentlyincreasedbyapproximately$30,000.Somestaffmembers

indicatedthattheyhavebeenabletoparticipateinsomeprofessionaldevelopment

opportunitiesonalimitedbasis.AsHPU’sfinancialpositionimproves,suchopportunities

shouldbemademoreavailabletobothstaffandfaculty,especiallyinareasofstrategic

importance.(CFR3.3)

TheUniversitylibrarywasimpactedbythefinancialdownturn.Although,HPU

statesthatitspreviouslibrarystaffinglevelswereunreasonablyhighandrequired

optimizationofresources,studentshaveexpressedaconcernaboutlibraryhours.

Extendedlibraryhoursarepresentlybeingofferedasapilot.Theimportanceoflibrary

servicesandresources,includingavailabilityofelectronicdatabasesforfacultyand

students,isessentialinsupportingtheeducationalmissionoftheUniversity.(CFR2.13,

3.5)HPUisencouragedtocarefullyanddeliberatelyevaluateitslibraryfunctionsand

resourcestoensuresufficientandadequatesupporttothecampuscommunity.

Standard4:CreatinganOrganizationCommittedtoQualityAssurance,

InstitutionalLearning,andImprovement.Aswillbeseeninlatersectionsofthisreport,

HPUclearlyhasdevelopedasetofqualityassuranceprocessestocollect,analyze,and

interpretdata,trackresultsovertime,andmakeimprovements.Ithasalsodevelopeda

functioninginstitutionalresearchcapacitytoprovidehigh-qualitydataforplanningand

decision-making.However,thishasnotalwaysbeenthecase,sincetheUniversity’s

planning,andtheinstitutionalresearchtosupportthatplanning,seeminglydidnotcatch

theseriousnessoftheenrollmentandsubsequentfinancialdownturn.Datacollection,

analysis,anddisseminationappeartohaveimprovedsignificantly,thoughamore

comprehensiveassessmentoftheeffectivenessoftheinstitutionalresearchendeavorstill

needstobeundertaken.(CFRs4.1,4.2,and4.3)

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ItwasobvioustotheteamthattheinstitutionhasengagedinaseriousStrategic

Planningendeavorandevenmoreseriousmasterplanningendeavor.Theseendeavors

werefocusedonrespondingtothechanginghighereducationalenvironment.The

Universityisattempting,throughitsStrategicPlananditsCampusMasterPlan,todevelop

severalspecialnichesforitselfasamajorinstitutionofhigherlearningintheheartof

downtownHonolulu;asan“anchor”institutionmeetingtheneedsofmilitarypersonnel

andtheirfamilies;andasaUniversityengagedinseriousresearch,teaching,andlearning

inmarinebiology,fishbreeding,andaquaculture.

Therehave,however,beentwomajorproblemswiththeinstitution’sstrategic

planning.First,ithasnot,heretofore,fullyinvolvedallrelevantconstituenciesina

collegial,collaborative,andtransparentfashioninthediscoursetoshapeandimplement

strategicplanninggoals.Second,tosomeextentvariousplanningendeavorsinthe

academic,enrollment,facultystaffing,physical,fiscal,andUniversityadvancementand

fundraisingarenaappeartobeundertakensomewhatindependentlyofeachother—ifat

all—withthedotsbetweenandamongthemandtotheoverallStrategicPlannotbeingwell

connected.Comprehensiveacademicplanningaswellascomprehensiveadvancementand

fundraisingplanningappearlacking.

Withtheseriousefforttonowengageinmeaningfulsharedgovernance,appropriate

committeeshavebeenestablishedtooverseeandmonitorthestrategicandmaster

planningprocesses.Thesecommitteesareonlyjustbeginningtofunction.Agreatdealof

committeeprofessionaldevelopmentwillbeneeded.ThenewlyselectedUniversity

presidenthasmadeitcleartotheteamthatheconsidersthe“rebooting”ofrobust,

collaborative,strategicplanningtobeoneoftheprioritiesofhisnewpresidency.Itis

essentialthatthisplanningprocessbeacollegial,inclusive,andtransparentendeavorthat

isdata-drivenandtakesintoaccountallrelevantexternalandinternalfactors.Boththe

newStrategicPlanandallofthesubsidiaryplansthatwillflowfromitneedtohave

measurablegoalsthatarepublicallyreportedtotheUniversitycommunity.(CFRs4.5,4.6,

and4.7)

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Component3.DegreePrograms

Meaning,Quality,andIntegrityoftheDegreeand

InventoryofEducationalEffectivenessIndicators

HPUoffersdegreesatthreelevels:theassociate,bachelor’sandmaster’sdegree

levels.Associatedegreesareofferedonlytomilitaryservicepersonnelandtheirfamilies;

bachelor’sdegreesareofferedontheHawai’iLoacampus,atthedowntowncampus,and

onO’ahu’ssixmilitarybases.Master’sdegreesareofferedattheHawai’iLoaand

downtownsitesandonline,andaface-to-faceMBAalsoofferedonafewofthebases.

TheInstitutionalReportdescribesattainmentofanHPUundergraduatedegreeas

evidencethatastudenthas1)gainedafoundationintheliberalarts,2)developedhigher

orderthinkingabilities,and3)attainedspecificcontentknowledgeandskillsthatwill

preparethegraduateforthenextstepinherorhisprofessionaldevelopment.Specific

contentknowledgeandskillsforprofessionaldevelopmentaredevelopedandassessed

primarilythroughtheacademicprogram.Inordertoassessthefirsttwoofthese

characteristicsofanHPUdegree,facultydevelopedInstitutionalLearningOutcomesthat

werepassedbytheAcademicCouncilandFacultyAssemblyin2014.(CFR1.1,1.2,2.4)At

theassociateandbachelor’sdegreelevels,theILOsspecifycompetencyincriticalthinking,

informationliteracy,writtencommunication,quantitativeanalysisandsymbolicreasoning,

andoralcommunication.TheseILOsareinalignmentwiththefiveWSCUCcore

competencies.

Thefirstthreecompetenciesarecommonforthemaster’sdegreelevelaswell,with

afourthcompetencyonscholarlyorcreativemastery.Expectationsforlearningateach

degreelevelhavebeenarticulatedusingtheDegreeQualificationProfile.(CFR2.1)

UndergraduatedegreesaredevelopedaroundacommoncoreofGeneralEducation.

TherearefivethemesinwhichthecorecompetenciesspelledoutbytheILOsare

embedded.Thefivethemesareaddressedintwelvecoursesacrosselevencurricularareas.

Inadditiontofourcourses(CriticalThinkingandExpression,QuantitativeAnalysisand

SymbolicReasoning,Communication,andInformationLiteracy)thatmirrorILOs,thereare

threecoursesbasedonculturalandhistoricalthemesthatspringfromHPU’sstrategic

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geographicalpositiononthePacificRim(Hawai’iandthePacific,Traditionsand

MovementsthatShapetheWorld,andGlobalCrossroadsandDiversity).AdditionalGE

areasincludetechnologyandinnovation,creativearts,thenaturalworld,and

sustainability.

Admissionandachievementpoliciesforgraduationarearticulated.Learning

outcomesarewelladvertised,withcourselearningoutcomespublishedincoursesyllabi.

ProgramlearningoutcomesarelistedintheCatalogaswellasonmanycoursesyllabi.

InstitutionaloutcomesarepublishedintheCatalogaswellasontheHPUwebsite.(CFR

2.2-2.3)

HPUassurestheintegrityofitsdegreesinseveralways,butthreewaysin

particular:1)assessmentofinstitutionaloutcomesandlearning,2)courseandprogram

reviewswhichincludeanassessmentofstudentlearningandhowthoseresultsare

utilized,and3)asupportivefacultythatmaintainsanactiveconnectiontotheir

professions.

ILOAssessmentthroughGeneralEducation(GE).Widespreadassessmentof

ILOsisjustbeginning,sincetheywereapprovedinsummer2014.However,theplanis

thatthebulkofthislearningassessmentwillbecarriedoutthroughassessmentofthe

GeneralEducationcore.AnassistantdeanforGEandafacultyGeneralEducation

CurriculumandLearningAssessmentCommittee(GECLAC),withfacultyrepresentatives

fromeachcollege,haveprimaryresponsibilityfordevelopingtheassessmentschedule,

tools,analysis,andtimelineforinstitutionalreflectionontheresults.In2015,an

AssessmentDaywasheldtoshareandcelebrateassessmentresults;thisisnowplannedas

anannualevent.

ProgramReview.Theprogramreviewprocesswasevaluatedin2011,withnew

featuresintroducedtoenhancetherobustnessandmeaningofthereview.The

comprehensivefive-yearprogramreviewprocessisbasedonannualreportdataon

programenrollment/majors;programcapacityintermsofcurriculum,faculty,and

resources;studentlearning;studentsatisfaction;initiativesthataddresstheGlobal

CitizenshipemphasisofHPU;educationalimprovementsincethelastreview;andasection

16

withrecommendationsandactionsforthefuture.(CFR2.7)Anexternalreviewiscarried

outandthecomprehensivedocumentisreviewedbyfacultyanddeanswithaneyeto

institutionalplanningtomeetverifiedneeds.

Theprogramreviewprocesshasbeeninconsistentinqualityandincompletein

recentyears,asHPUhasprioritizedthemeetingofotherchallenges.Atthetimeofthe

institutionalself-study,theInventoryofEducationalEffectivenessIndicatorslisted

fourteenprogramreviewsinprocess.However,anupdatedversionoftheInventory

suppliedtotheTeamatthetimeofthevisitshowsthatallacademicprogramreviewsare

nowup-to-date.Theinstitutionalresearchcapacitywasstrengthenedbyimplementing

software(Taskstream)tobringtheprocessbackontrack.(CFR3.1,3.10)Actionsbased

onthedataarebeginningtoemergeintermsofcurricularchangesandstudentsuccess

initiatives.(CFR2.10)

RoleoftheFaculty.Facultyacrosstheinstitutionhavebeenresponsiblefor

developingstudentoutcomesattheinstitutional,programmatic,andcourselevels.(CFR

2.4)HPUhassupportedfacultyinthesetasksbyprovidingfundsforattendingWSCUC

workshopsandreassignedtimefordevelopmentofoutcomesandforreflectiononthe

results.Programreviewnarrativesspeaktothecommitmentoffacultyindeveloping

learningoutcomesandtheircommitmenttodesigningandimplementingstrategiesfor

assessingstudentlearning.

ThenewFacultyHandbook(approvedin2014)indicatesthatteaching

accomplishmentshallbebasedon“reviewofsyllabi,peerfacultyassessment,andstudent

evaluations.”Whilethereisnomentionofthenecessaryroleoffacultyinlearning

assessmentorcourse/programimprovement,conversationswithfacultyandan

examinationofprogramreviewsonfilethatdetailhowandwhychangeshaveoccurred,

indicatethatfacultytakethisresponsibilityseriously.(CFR2.4,4.3)Rubricshavebeen

developedthatclearlydifferentiatetheexpectationsforstudentlearningateachdegree

level.(CFR2.1,2.2)TheseexpectationsarebasedontheDegreeQualificationsProfile.

17

Component4:EducationalQuality

StudentLearning,CoreCompetencies,andStandardsofPerformanceatGraduation

In2014theHPUFacultyAssembly(nowSenate)adoptedinstitutionallearning

outcomes(ILOs),whicharealignedwithWSCUCcorecompetenciesforitsthreelevelsof

itsdegrees.(CFR2.2,2.2a,2.2b)EstablishmentoftheILOAssessmentCommitteeallowed

HPUtodevelopaplanforassessingthecorecompetenciesutilizingtheAssociationof

AmericanCollegesandUniversities(AACU)rubricsasthebasis.Subsequentrevisionswere

madetothefourrubricsbasedontheresultsof“normingsessions.”Therevisedrubricfor

quantitativeanalysisandsymbolicreasoning,forexample,wasusedtopilotassessmentof

fivemathcoursesanddeterminethatapproximately60%ofthestudentsweremeeting

expectationsofthiscompetency.Theinstitutionalreportstates,“Thisinformationallowed

ustoreflectonthemathematicscoursesinthepilotandbegintodiscussevaluationofthe

courses—includingcurriculumgoals,lessonplans,andstudentassignments—toimprove

competency.”(CFR2.1,2.2,2.2a,2.3,2.4,4.1,4.3)

ImplementationofthenewGeneralEducation(GE)programinfall2015resultedin

acommoncoreofcoursesin11curricularareas(CFR2.2a).TherevisedGEprogram,

alignedwiththeWSCUCcorecompetenciesandincorporatedHPUthemesofglobal

crossroadsanddiversity,Hawai’iandthePacific,andsustainability.The2015-17Strategic

PlanforGeneralEducationdevelopedbytheStrategicPlanningCommitteeaddressedits

essentialcomponents,includingtheGEvision,mission,goals,curriculumareas,program

objectives,andstudentlearningoutcomes.Althoughitappearsthatfacultywerebroadly

engagedandledtheGErevisionprocess,somefacultynotedthattheoralcommunication

competency,forexample,wasnotadequatelyaddressedwithintheGE/corecurriculum.

ThevisitingteamremindstheUniversitythatitisessentialthatallreview,revision,and/or

planningofanyacademicandcurriculum-relatedmattersincludebroadand

representationalfacultyparticipation.(CFR2.2,2.4,3.7,3.10,4.4,4.5,4.6)

GEprogramlearningoutcomeshavebeenmappedtotheILOs,andacurriculum

mapwasdevelopedtodemonstratethealignment.(CFR2.2a)TherevisedGEprogram

reducedthecreditrequirementsfrom57to36creditsandprovidedmoreopportunities

18

forstudentstopursueadoublemajororaminor,aswellasengageinhigh-impact

practicesincludingresearch,internships,andstudyabroad.(CFR2.5)AspartoftheGE

redesignandthereductionofunitsrequiredforgraduation,theUndergraduateCurriculum

Committeereviewedalldegreeprogramsandminors.Approximately40programshave

beencompletelyrevised,andprogramimprovementsinotherdegreeshavebeen

implemented.Manyprogramsstreamlinedtheirmajorrequirementsto45-72creditsby

reducingthenumberofpre-requisitecourses;andtotaldegreecreditsforallprograms,but

one,werereducedto120credits.

PerhapsthemostnotableaccomplishmenthasbeenmadeinintegrationofGE

outcomes,programlearningoutcomes,andILOassessments.CommonassessmentsofGE

outcomesalignedwithILOs(i.e.,criticalthinking,informationliteracy,oralcommunication,

quantitativeanalysisandsymbolicreasoning,andwrittencommunication)havebeen

developedbythefacultyandwillbeevaluatedinthefuturebasedonacommonrubric.

UtilizationofTaskstreamisexpectedtoassistfacultyincompletionofthisprocess.(CFR

2.2,2.2a,2.2b,2.3,2.4,4.1,4.3)

TheILOAssessmentPlanfor2014-15outlinesspecificassessmentgoals,including

procedures,timelines,andrequiredtraining.Italsoraisesquestionsrelatedtoinstitutional

support,includingsoftware,facultyandstafflevels,anddataavailabilityandtracking.To-

datesomeoftheseissueshavebeenresolvedorareinprocess,whileothersremaintobe

addressed.(CFR2.7,3.4,4.1)ImplementationoftheannualAssessmentDayinAugust

2015allowedfaculty,forexample,toengageindevelopingcommonassessmentsofthe

ILOsinGE,themajor,andthecapstone.OngoingimplementationofTaskstreamsoftware

tobeutilizedforannualassessmentofstudentlearningandprogramreviewsisanother

exampleofHPU’seffortstoensureitseducationaleffectiveness.

BasedontheupdatedinformationprovidedbyHPU,morethan20programshave

completedtheirreviewsduring2014and2015resultinginanumberofimprovements.

(CFR2.7,3.10,4.1,4.5)Whileexamplesofcurricular-relatedimprovementsresultingfrom

theprogramreviewrecommendationsabound,requestsforadditionalresourcesremain

outstanding,asnewfundingislimited.AsacknowledgedbyHPU,theUniversity“has

attemptedtoincorporatetheprogramreviewevaluationsintoinstitutionalplanning

processes,butunfortunatelyhasdonesowithlimitedsuccess”[Appendix32,Evaluating

19

HPUProgramReview,p.7].HPUisstronglyencouragedtoidentifywaysofsupporting

evidence-basedrequestsforresourcesresultingfromcompletedprogramreviews.In

addition,assessmentandprogramreviewofco-curricularareasisinitsearlystages(e.g.,

LibraryandStudentServices)andneedstobedevelopedfurther.(CFR2.11,4.3)

ImplementationofTaskstreamshouldassistinthisprocess.

StrengtheningoftheFacultySenateacademiccommittees(e.g.,theGECurriculum

andLearningAssessmentCommittee)andtheAcademicAssessmentandProgramReview

TaskForceinfrastructureisanimportantcomponentoftheinstitutionalfocuson

educationalqualityandassessmentefforts.(CFR2.3,2.7,3.7,3.10)Asnotedpreviously,

resourcesandsupportforfacultytoengageinteaching/learning,scholarship,and

assessment-relateddevelopmentopportunitiesareessentialinordertocontinuously

strengtheninstitutionalassessmentefforts.(CFR2.8,2.9,3.3)

Insum,HPUhasmadesubstantiveprogressandimprovementsindevelopingand

aligningILOs,corecompetencies,andGE;redesigningGE;completingprogramreviews;

implementingTaskstream;anddevelopingasupportinfrastructure.Theteamcommends

theUniversityforitseffortsandencouragesHPUtomaintainacontinuingfocusonthem.

Component5:StudentSuccess

StudentLearning,Retention,andGraduation

Ashasbeenstatedpreviously,therehasbeenasteadydeclineinHPUstudent

enrollmentssincethelastWSCUCvisitin2005,withprecipitousdeclinesinthelastfive

years.ThoseshrinkingenrollmentshavesignificantlyimpactedtheHPUbudgetthatis80%

tuition-driven.Theresultingfinancialchallengeshavenegativelyimpactedeveryareaof

theUniversity.Yet,theenrollmentdeclinesreceivedcuriouslylittleattentionintheHPU

InstitutionalReportforReaffirmationofAccreditation,exceptforthediscussionon

retention.Thedeclineinenteringstudentenrollmentswaslargelyunaddressedinthe

report.TheteamhadthesensethattheUniversityhadsomehowmissedtheseriousnessof

theenrollmentdownturn.ThisperceptionwaspartiallyconfirmedbytheUniversity’sown

statement[p.61]:

20

“…theinstitution’splanninginfrastructurewasnotrobustenoughtopredictthe

lowerenrollmentbase.Infact,internalprojectionssuggestedcontinuedenrollment

andtuitionrevenuegrowth,andthoseprojectionsledtomisinformeddecisionsto

addcoststotheinstitution.”

Theteamaskedforfurtherexplanationoftheenrollmentdeclinesandthe

implicationsforstudentexperienceandsuccessinitsLinesofInquiryresponsefollowing

theOff-SiteReview.TheUniversityprovidedamuchmorethoroughevaluationofthe

perceivedreasonsforthedecliningtrends,andfurtherinquiryduringtheteamvisit

elicitedadditionalinformationfromUniversityanalysesthathavebeenunderwayoverthe

lastyear.

Aperfectstormoffactorsimpactedthedeclineinenrollmentsoverthelastdecade.

HPU’shistoricmixofstudentfeedermarkets—thepart-time,distancelearning,active

military,andworkingstudents—hasprovenparticularlyvulnerabletostate,national,and

internationaleconomictrendsasfollows:(a)Therecessionandchangesintheeconomy

havecausedthedevaluingoftheU.S.Dollar,makingtraveltoHawai’imorefinancially

difficultforinternationalstudentsandstudentsfromthemainland,exacerbatedbythe

bankruptcyoftwomajorairlinesservingHawai’i;(b)HPUisencounteringsignificantly

increasedcompetitionfromfor-profitanddistancelearningcompetitorsrelocatingin

Hawai’i;(c)ThenumberofHawai’ihighschoolgraduatesisdeclining,causingmore

competitionamonguniversitiesontheisland.ThelessexpensiveUniversityofHawai’iat

Manoaflagshipcampushascapturedmoreofthecollege-goingstudentswhodonotwant

togotothemainlandtostudy;(d)Perhapsmostsignificant,declinesinfederalfunding

earmarksandthepatternsofactivedutymilitarydeploymenthavenegativelyimpactedthe

enrollmentsinthedistancelearningprogramsatthesixon-islandmilitarybasesthathave

beenamainstayofHPUenrollmentformanyyears.

21

Enrollmentsshow

declinesoverthe12

monthenrollment

periodsince2005,

especiallyfor

undergradstudents.

Mostofthedeclines

wereinpart-time

students,sotheFTE

declineswerenotas

significant.

Inlightofthesetrends,andinsupportofHPU’snew2012-2017StrategicPlangoal

tobecomeatop-tenwesternprivateregionalUniversity,HPUbenchmarkeditsaspirational

peerstocomparepractices.OneofthefindingswasthatHPU’speershaveamuchstronger

mixoffirst-time,full-timestudents.TheUniversitysubsequentlymadetheconsequential

decisiontoshifttowardfirst-time,full-timefreshmenandawayfromitstraditionalmixof

part-time,working,visiting,online,andinternationalstudents.Thisshiftisafar-reaching

decisionthatwillrequireadditionalfinancialinvestmenttosupportanon-campus,

traditional-aged,residentialstudentpopulationthatexpectservicesandprogramstobuild

communityandcampuslife—attheverytimethatHPUisexperiencingitsbudget

downturn.Universityfacultyandstaff,andespeciallyleadershipandtheBoardofTrustees,

understandtheimplicationsofmakingthisstudentcohortshift.Asarticulatedtotheteam

bytheBoardChair,ifHPUdoesnotsucceedinattractingfull-timefreshmen,thelong-term

viabilityoftheUniversitywilllikelybefurtherjeopardized.(CFR4.7)

Injustthelastfewyears,theUniversityhasembarkedonthestrategytore-center

thecampustothedowntownHonoluluAlohaTowerMarketplacepropertythatwould

provideafull-servicecampussitewithresidencefacilitiesandrelatedstudentservices

22

closetopublictransportationintheheartofthebusinesscommunityandgovernment

district.TheUniversityhopesthatretentionandgraduationrateswillimprovewithlonger

periodsofenrollmentandstrongerconnectionstotheUniversity.Italsohopesthatthese

studentswilldevelopstrongeralumniconnectionsthatwillaffordincreasedsupportto

HPUinthefuture.Theteam’stourofthepropertyconfirmedthatthepropertyhas

beautiful,contemporaryarchitecture,withexcellentmeetingrooms,multi-purposerooms,

andalearningcommons.Theconvertedresidencehallloftsarealsoattractiveand

spacious.

In2015,theUniversityturnedtoatrioofenrollmentmanagementconsultantsfor

helpinrevisingenrollmentstrategiesanddeployingnewresourcesandapproachesto

admissionsandtheawardingoffinancialaid.Flowchartstoguideadmissionsstaff,new

messaging,outreachpublications,communications,andwebsitestrategieshaveallbeen

redesignedoverthepastyear.Forthefirsttime,goalswereestablishedforinquiries,

applications,andregistrationsfromsegmentedmarkets.Thisdata-informed,analytical

approachtoenrollmentislargelynewtoHPU.TheUniversityisencouragedtopursuethis

importantandnecessaryapproach.(CFR3.4,4.3)

Thegoodnewsisthattheentireadmissionprocesshasbeenredesigned.The

UniversityupgradeditsequipmentandtechnologyandlaunchedProjectSCORESto

streamlineNationalStudentClearinghousereports,recodeBanner’sadmissionmodule,

andotherimprovements.Theearlyadmissionactiondateswerepushedamonthearlier

andincentiveswereaddedformeritawardsandhousingpriority.Year-to-date

applicationsforfall2016areup.Newgraduateprogramswillbetargetedtoseeknew

enrollmentsandnewstudentmarkets.Programsbeingconsideredincludedoctoratesin

NursingPracticeandPhysicalTherapy,master’sdegrees[orconcentrations]inPublic

Health,CreativeWriting,PublicAdministration,BioSciences[pre-med],HealthCare

Administration,andEducationalLeadership,andbachelordegreesinEngineering,

Nutrition,andIntegrativeArts.Anewexperienceddirectoroffinancialaidwashired

recentlyandasearchisunderwayforanexperiencedvicepresidentforenrollment

management.Theleadershipprovidedbytheseprofessionalswillbecriticaltotheongoing

successofenrollmentmanagement.(CFR3.1,3.2,3.4,3.6)

23

Itshouldbenotedthat,whileadmissionsstrategieswerebeingrevamped,the

processhasbeenslowedbythefinancialclimatethathasmandatedreductionsin

admissionsaswellasinallotherareasoftheUniversity.TheUniversitybelievesthe

reductionsfurtherimpactedenrollmentsnegatively,particularlygraduateenrollments.

Onlyinthelastfewmonthshasthenumberofrecruitersbeenincreased.Admissions

counselorsarenowembeddedwithinthecolleges,withtheresultthatacademicdeansand

departmentchairsaremoreengagedinadmissionandretentionprocessesandstaffis

betterinformedaboutfacultyandcurricula.

Theapproachtodata-drivenanalysisfortherecruitmentandadmissionsprocesses

hasnotfullyextendedtotheothercomponentsofenrollmentmanagement—retentionand

graduation.TheUniversitydoesknowthatitsfreshman-to-sophomoreattritionrateof

33%iscomparativelyhighanditsIPEDSsix-yeargraduationrateof40%iscomparatively

low,andattributesthesetothestudentbodymixthatitenrolls.Still,inasmallsample

surveyofthereasonsstudentsleave,studentdissatisfactionwiththeirfeltconnectionto

HPU,dissatisfactionwithsociallifeandco-curricularopportunities,uncertainvaluingof

theireducation,qualityofacademicadvising,academicchallenges,andqualityof

instructionareallissuesforHPUtounderstandbettersotheycanbeaddressed.Students

toldtheteamthattheirquestionsandcomplaintswerenotbeingrespondedto,andthey

oftendidnotknowtowhomtheyshouldturntoaddresstheirconcerns.TheUniversity

believesthatthedevelopmentoftheAlohaTowerMarketplacecampuswillhelp

amelioratesomeoftheseconcerns,butabetterunderstandingofwhatsegmentsof

studentsarebeingretainedandwhichareleaving,andwhy,remainsahighpriority.(CFR

1.7,2.10,2.13,4.2)TheUniversity’sgoalsof85%freshmenretentionand70%six-year

graduationrateareextremelyambitiousandnotyetsupportedbydata-drivenplansto

achievetheseincreases.

TheStudentSuccessCommitteeatHPUisdesignatedtoprovideleadershipto

addressstudentsuccessandretention.TheCommitteehascoalescedwithoutan

experiencedenrollmentmanagementleader.Strategicadmissionsdecisionsarecurrently

beingmadeatthelevelofthepresident;sowithoutthesamelevelofattentiontoretention

andwithoutthesamedata-drivenanalysisandleadershipthatcoulddriveretention,the

24

committeehasevolvedintoalargeinformationsharingandproblemsolving

communicationsbody–whichdefinitelyhasmeritinimprovingcommunicationand

modifyingsomepracticesandprocesses,butiswithouttheinformationandanalysisthatis

neededtoeffecttheunderstandingandstrategiestoaddressstudentretentionmost

directly.Withoutthissupport,thecommitteewillnotbeabletofulfillitschargeof

supplementingtheUniversitySuccessPlanwithaccompanyingoutcomemetrics,timelines,

andbenchmarks.Finally,itistheexpectationofWSCUCthatretentionandgraduationdata

beoneoftheelementsthatismadepublicasanindicatorofstudentachievement.Thereis

noevidencethatthisinformationissharedwiththepublicandlikelyawaitsthearrivalofa

newenrollmentmanagementleader.

Theteammetwithstudentsandstudentleadershipandfound,perhapsinevitably,

thatbudgetreductionsandthestaffandfacultylayoffshavecauseduncertaintyand

frustration.Studentshavepickeduponthecampusclimateoffearandmistrust.Some

layoffsparticularlyimpactedthestudentexperience:Studentsreportedthatmanycourses

listedintheCatalogarenotavailable,orwereavailableatasemesterlaterthantheir

graduationdate.Theyreportedthatsubstitutecourseswerefoundthatwouldpermitthem

toprogressandgraduateontime,buttheywerenotalwayscoursesstudentswanted.In

thepast,theCataloghadnotbeenpublishedeveryyear.Theprovostindicatedthat,inthe

future,theCatalogwouldbepublishedannually.Concernsmentionedmostoftenby

studentssurroundedacademicadvising.Whileadvisorshavenowbeenembeddedinthe

colleges,studentsfeltthatadvisorswerenotalwayswellinformedaboutcoursesorthe

onlineplan-of-degreeprogram.Theteamfeltthattraining,oradditionaltraining,for

academicadvisingshouldbeanimportantgoaltoimpactretentionpositively.

StudentsindicatedthatnotallofthestudentservicespromisedintheAlohaTower

Marketplacehavematerializedandtheyhaveinsteadwitnessednewcommercialtenants

movingintovacantspaces,whicharearevenue-generatingnecessityfortheUniversityat

thispointintime.Facilitiesmostoftenmentionedasbeingmissingwereadining

commons,fitnessfacility,andhealthclinic.Studentsexpresseddesireformore

communicationfromtheUniversityingeneralandmorecommunicationthroughsocial

mediainparticular.Perhapsinevitably,thecampusclimateofsadnessandanger

25

engenderedbyfacultyandstafflayoffshasmigratedtostudents,resultinginconsiderable

expresseddissatisfaction.WhilethereisacknowledgementthatHPUisworkingtomake

thingsbetterforstudents,andthattheseyearsareatransitionperiodwhiletheUniversity

rebuilds,thesecurrentstudentsfeeltheyhavebeendisadvantaged.(CFR1.6,1.7)

AsHPUfurtherdevelopstheATMcampusandbeginstheenrollmentturn-around,it

willbeimportanttomapadditionalservicesandco-curricularlearningopportunities

intendedtosupportstudents’personalandprofessionaldevelopmentandtocommunicate

whenandwherethesewillbeofferedandhowtheywillbeintegratedwithacademic

programsandintothefurtherdevelopmentofspaceattheATMcampus.Knowingthe

intendeddatesforimplementationofenhancementswouldhelpstudentunderstandingof

thetrajectoryofanticipateddevelopment.(CFR2.11,3.1)

Somepositivenotestomentionincludethefactthatthemultinationaldiversityof

thestudentbodyhasbeenrecognizedbyU.S.NewsandWorldReportandisreceivingnew

emphasisintheStrategicPlan.Universitygoalsandnewapproachestoeducating

professionalswithinterculturalskillstoworkeffectivelywithothersarebeingtargeted.

TheseapproachesandcurriculawillfurtherHPU’spositioningasaresourceforthe

sustainabilityanddiversificationofthePacificregion.TheUniversityalsostrongly

supportstheYellowRibbonProgram,whichhelpsformermilitarypersonnelobtaincollege

degreesanddevelopmarketableskillsforfutureemployment.In2015,HPUwasrankedin

thetop10%ofmilitary-friendlyschoolsbyMilitaryAdvancedEducationMagazine.

ItshouldalsobenotedthatthenewPeerAcademicCoachProgramhashad

documentedsuccessinincreasingretentionforparticipatingstudents.Inthisprogram,

academicallysuccessfulupperclassmencoachfreshmenintransitioningtocollegelife,

livingonO’ahu,andfocusingontheiracademicendeavors.Alsodeservingcommendation

forimprovedretentionratesistheHPUAthleticsProgram.Thelastcohortreportedto

NCAAshowsthe2008-2009classhaving57%retentiontograduationforstudentathletes

ascomparedto42%forallstudents.Finally,amongotherinnovativeprograms,HPU’s

UniversityScholarsProgramdeservesspecialmentionforbringingthemosthighly

academicallyqualifiedstudentstogetherinspecialhonorssectioncourses,facilitatingtheir

26

engagementwithintellectualpeers.Anexpansionoftheprogramtobeginfall2016will

target25to50highachievingstudentstoliveinresidence.

Component6.QualityAssuranceandImprovement

ProgramReview,Assessment,andUseofDataandEvidence

ProgramreviewatHPUoccursonafive-yearcycle.Atthecurrenttime,allacademic

programreviewsarecurrent.Whilethereviewprocessofco-curricularprogramsappears

tobeinabeginningstageofdevelopment,reviewsofsomestudentservicesandthelibrary

arecurrentlyunderway.

Theprogramreviewprocesshasbeenevolvingsince2005,whenthelast

comprehensiveevaluationofHPUwasheld.In2011,afullinvestigativeevaluationof

HPU’sprogramreviewprocesswasundertaken.Asaresultoftheprocess,aGuideto

AcademicProgramReview,5thEdition,wasdeveloped;thisGuideoutlinesprogramreview

componentsandgoodpracticesbytakingprogramfacultyandpersonnelthrougha12-step

reviewprocess.Theprocessbeginswithfacultyreflectingonthestrengthsand

weaknessesoftheprogram.Acompilationoffiveyearsofdataonprogramenrollment/

outcomes(alsoreportedonanannualbasis)providesonequantitativebasisforthis

reflectionandprovidessomeevidenceforprogramsustainability.(CFR4.1-4.2)

Animportantaspectoftheprogramreviewprocessisthecollectionandanalysisof

datameasuringstudentlearning.Thesedataarecollectedatthecourselevel,withoneor

morePLOsalsoscheduledforassessmenteachterm.Faculty—includingadjunctfaculty—

areremindedatthebeginningofeachsemesterwhichPLOsarebeingassessedinthe

coursestheyareteaching,andtheseareembeddedincourseassignments.(CFR2.5,2.6)

FacultyusecommontoolsandrubricsintheassessmentofaPLO.Whilefacultyare

expectedtoexaminetheirCLOandPLOresultsattheendofeachcourse,programfaculty

holisticallyreviewandreflectonthequalityoftheprogramatthetimeoftheprogram

review.Atthetimeofreflectionduringtheprogramreview,neededchangestocurriculum,

pedagogy,andoutcomesthatleadtoprogramimprovementsurface.(CFR2.4,2.10,4.1,4.3,

4.4,4.5)

Manychangesinprogramcurriculahaveoccurredrecently—primarilyasaresultof

reducingtheoverallunitsnecessaryforgraduationfrom124to120semesterunitsand

27

fromarecentcompletechangeintheGeneralEducationprogram.Assessmentand

programreviewhaveledtoanumberofcurriculumchanges:

• TheBSinBusinessAdministrationredesigneditscurriculummapinorderto

understandhowtobettersupportprogramlearningoutcomes.

• TheMSinNursingassessmentsoflearningledtheprogramtoincorporate

additionalinformationintoexistingcoursesandtosupplementpapersandclass

presentationswithamultiple-choiceexamonkeyconcepts.

• TheDepartmentofHistoryusedstudentassessmentresultstodeterminethata

standardizationofcitationwasneededforresearchpapers.

• AnalysisofstudentlearningatthecourselevelledtheBiologyDepartmentto

increasethecoordinationofmultiplesectionsofGeneralBiologytoprovidemore,

butshorter,classmeetingsandintroducesmalldiscussiongroupsectionsintothe

course.

• TheDepartmentofCommunicationconsolidateditsdegreeprogramsin

advertising/publicrelationsandjournalismintoasinglemasscommunication

majorprovidingstudentswithamoreintegratedskillsetdesignedtoincreasetheir

competivenessinthemarketplace.

Externalreviewisanintegralpartoftheprogramreviewprocess.Then,asfinal

steps,anactionplanbasedonthefive-yearenrollment/successdata,studentlearning

achievements,andanexaminationofhowresourcesarebeingallocatedisdeveloped.(CFR

2.3,2.7,3.1)Theprogramreviewissharedwiththedeansothatrecommendationscanbe

usedinplanningtomeetfutureneeds.(CFR4.1)Itisnotcleartofacultyhowthespecific

needsforadditionalacademicsupportoutlinedintheactionplanandappearingas

recommendationsintheprogramreviewareintegratedintoplanningattheinstitutional

level.Aclearerchannelofcommunicationbetweendeansandfacultyonhowbudget

prioritiesareestablishedwouldstrengthenthemeaningoftheprogramreviewprocess.

Theimplementationoftheprocessdependsonsufficientadministrativeleadership

andsupport,andthisisprovidedintheformofanAcademicAssessmentandProgram

ReviewTaskForcecoordinatedbytheassistantdeanofgeneraleducationandassessment.

Extensivedataarecollectedineachprogramandthedatahaveinformeddecisionsmadein

eachprogram.Mostoftherecentactionplansresultingfromacademicprogramreviews

28

includeaneedforgreaterhuman,physical,and/ortechnologicalresources.Duringthese

timesoffinancialjeopardy,HPUhaseliminatedfacultyandadministrativesupport

positions,ineffectdiminishingitssupportoftheacademicinfrastructure.Whilefacultyare

generallycommittedtofindingalternativewaystoimproveprogramsandaddress

programreviewrecommendationssothatstudentsdonotsuffer,theirownworkloadhas

increasedandoverallmoralehasdecreased.Itappearstobethecasethat,whileHPU

continuestostruggletomeetthefinancialchallengesandtoimplementenrollment

strategiesbyintroducingnewprograms,therewillcontinuetobelimitedexpansionof

resourcesforexistingprograms.

Component7.Sustainability

FinancialViabilityandPreparingfortheChangingHigherEducationEnvironment

FinancialSustainability:AsdiscussedindetailinComponent5,enrollment

revenuescontinuetodrivetheHPUbudget,astuitionandfeesconsistentlycomprise

approximately80%oftheUniversity’soperationrevenues.Changesinenrollmentand

enrollment-relatedrevenue,therefore,havesignificantimpactontheUniversity’slong-

termfinancialsustainability.

OperatingdeficitshavefollowedtheUniversity’sdeclinesinenrollmentoverthelast

fiveyears,includingdecreasedenrollmentin2015of109studentsor11.5%fromfall

2014.Newgraduateenrollment,inturn,droppedby59studentsor19.1%fromfall2014.

Atthesametime,non-operatingactivitieshavebeennegativelyimpactedbydeclinesin

investmentmarketvalues,costsassociatedwiththeOceanicInstitute(OI),andcosts

relatedtothepurchase,renovation,andoperationoftheAlohaTowerMarketplace(ATM).

(CFR3.4)

Inregardtoenrollmenttrends,HPUhasbeenimpactedbyanumberoflocaland

globalchallengesthathavenegativelyimpacteditsenrollmentandenrollment-related

revenues.UniversityrecordsshowthatenrollmentdeclinesatHPUstartedasearlyas

2004andbecamemoreprominentin2008withtheGreatRecessionandcreditcrisis.The

uniquecompositionofHPU’sstudentbody,whichincludespart-time,distancelearning,

activedutymilitary,andinternationalstudents,meantthattheUniversitywasmore

29

severelyimpactedandimpactedoveralongerperiodoftimebytherecessionandcredit

crisis.ItwasnotedbytheUniversitythatitsenrolmentmixmorecloselyresembledthatof

for-profitinstitutionsthanofitsaspirationalpeersamongthetoptenwesternprivate

regionaluniversities.ItwasalsonotedthatdeficienciesinHPU’senrollmentdata

collection,reportingsystems,anddecentralizedinfrastructuremaskedthedirectionand

impactoftheenrollmenttrendsineachofitsconstituentstudentpopulations.(CFRs3.5,

4.1,4.2)

Inregardtonon-operatingactivities,themergerwiththeOceanicInstitutehas

resultedintheUniversityassumingoperatinglosses,includingalossof$1.2millioninFY

2015.Hawai’iLifestyleRetailProperties(HLRP),whichencompassestheATM,isalso

generatingoperatinglosses,includingalossof$1.7millioninFY2015.(CFR3.4]

ThestrategicpurchaseandrenovationoftheATM,whichdramaticallytransformed

theUniversity’sDowntownCampus,alsoresultedintheassumptionof$74.7millionof

bondeddebtwithmaturitiesthrough2043.Thisbondeddebtissecuredbyaleasehold

mortgageandbyapledgeofgrossUniversityrevenues.Thebondeddebtalsocomeswith

restrictivecovenantsincludingmaintainingassetsavailablefordebtcoverageataspecific

level.(CFR4.6)

ThepurchaseandrenovationoftheATMgavetheUniversitysignificantamountsof

downtownspace,whereitisconsolidatingitsotherleasedproperties,providing277new

studenthousingbeds,andgeneratingcommercialandretailrentalincome,withadditional

vacantspacetobeleasedand/orconvertedtoUniversityuses.Thepurchaseand

renovationofATMhasalsocausedtheUniversitytoincuradditionaloperatingexpenses,

includingdebtserviceonthebondeddebt,andofdepreciationexpensewhich,iffunded,

canbeusedtomaintainthefacilityovertime.(CFR3.5)

AlloftheaforementionedfactorshavecausedtheUniversitytoexperience

significantoperatingandnon-operatingdeficitseveryyearsinceFY2012,whena$6.5

millionoperatinglosswasincurred.SinceFY2012,thesedeficitshavecontributedtoa

reductioninoperatingrevenuesof15.7%or$15.8million,areductioninoperating

expensesof20.8%or$22.4million,andareductioninunrestrictednetassetsof25.4%or

30

$25.2millionthroughFY2015.Itshouldbenotedthatthe$25.2millionreductionin

universitynetassetsissomewhatoverstatedbytheATMacquisitionwhichcommencedin

2012.UsingFY2011asthebaseyear,unrestrictednestassetsdeclinedby$15.4millionor

17.2%throughFY2015.(CFR3.4)

RecentUniversityprojectionsindicatethatthesedeficitsarelikelytodiminish,but

persist,throughFY2019orbeyond.TheseprojectionsalsoindicatethattheUniversity’s

unrestrictednetassets($73.9millionasofJune30,2015)wouldbefurtherdiminishedand

thereforefurtherlimitHPU’sabilitytoreacttonewopportunitiesorthreatsthatcould

occur.(CFR3.4)

AlignmentwithInstitutionalPriorities.HPU’s2012–2017StrategicPlanand

2014CampusMasterPlanhaveprovidedimportantguidepoststohelpassurethe

Universityisaligningitsfiscal,human,andphysicalresourceswithitsinstitutional

priorities.Majorinitiativesthatarefundedandunderwaytoimplementthestrategicand

masterplansincludethereengineeringofenrollmentmanagement,theadditionoftargeted

newacademicprograms,thedevelopmentofrevenuestreamsrelatedtotheATMandthe

OI,andenhancedfundraising.(CFRs4.6,4.7)

AsdiscussedinComponent5,thereengineeringofenrollmenteffortsincludeda

reviewofexistingpracticesbyconsultantsandtheresultantdevelopmentand

implementationofrecommendationsthatfocusonfirst-time,full-time,undergraduate

students,moretargetedanddata-drivensearchstrategiesandfinancialaidawards,

redeploymentofrecruitingpersonneltotargetedmarkets,enhancedaccountabilities,and

improvedmarketingcollateral.Reengineeringeffortsalsoincludeplanstohireanewvice

presidentforenrollmentmanagement,withanationalsearchcurrentlyunderway.(CFR

4.6)

Effortstoexpandacademicprogramofferingsincludethecreationofanew

academicunit,theCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducation,effectivefall2015.

ThisnewcollegeisanextensionoftheformerOff-Campus/MilitaryCampusProgramsand

itisofferingnewundergraduatedegreeprogramsinpublicadministrationandcriminal

justice,aswellasseveralpre-existingmajors,associatedegrees,andcertificates.The

academicprogramsofferedbythisnewcollegearebeingdeliveredinavarietyofformats

31

includingon-base,hybrid,andonline.Theofferingsarefocusedonmilitaryclientele

(activedutyandretired),militaryfamilymembers,andothernon-traditionalstudents.

(CFR4.7)

Othereffortstoexpandacademicprogramofferingsincludetheplannedlaunchofa

residentialhonorsprogram,thedevelopmentofaB.S.programinengineering(HPU

currentlyhas40studentsina3-2engineeringprogram),andatleastsixnewandtargeted

graduatedegreeprograms.TheATMiscurrentlyprovidingnon-tuitionrevenue

generationpossibilities,includingrevenuesfromstudenthousing,retailleases,parking

income,conferences,andevents.University-generatedprojectionsofrevenues,which

assumecertainlevelsofoccupancyandutilizationrates,andprojectionsofexpenses,

indicatethattheATMmaynotgeneratenetincomebacktoHPUuntilFY2019orbeyond.

(CFRs4.7,3.4)

TheOIrepresentsanothersourceofnon-tuitionrevenue,andeffortsareunderway

toexpandtheserevenuessothatOIcanachievefinancialself-sufficiency.Effortsinclude

increasedtechnicalcontracting,increasedgrantandfundraisingactivity,theexplorationof

potentialdegreeprogramsinaquaculture,andeducationaltourisminitiativesthatpromise

toleveragebothOI’scutting-edgeresearchanditsproximitytoSeaLifePark,apopular

touristdestination.TheUniversity’sprojections,however,indicatethatOImaynotachieve

financialself-sufficiencyuntilFY2019orthereafter.(CFR3.4)

Finally,fundraisingeffortstodiversifyrevenuestreamshavefocusedontherecent

launchofacapitalcampaign.Thecapitalcampaigncoincideswithandcomplementsthe

University’s50thanniversarycelebration.Thecampaignistobefocusedonproviding

resourcesforthe“repositioning”oftheUniversitythroughtheimplementationofthe2012

–2017StrategicPlanandthe2014CampusMasterPlan.(CFR3.4)

InfrastructureandContinuousPlanning.Asnotedpreviously,HPU’sstrategic

andCampusMasterPlanshavefunctionedasimportantguidepostsforeffortstoadaptto

anevolvinghighereducationlandscape.Effortstobuildtheinfrastructurenecessaryto

implementtheseplansinadata-informedmannerandtoprepareforalikelynewStrategic

Planin2017havefocusedonimprovingandexpandingtheUniversity’sinstitutional

research(IR)andinformationtechnology(IT)infrastructure.Effortshavealsoincluded

thecreationofsharedgovernancecommitteestohelpprovidebroadercampuscommunity

32

inputandperspectivesintocontinuousimprovementandplanningefforts.(CFRs4.2,4.6,

4.7)

InregardtoIRinfrastructure,theUniversityrecentlyappointedadirectorof

Universitystrategicinitiativestoorganizeandvalidatedatausedfordecision-making

purposes.ThedirectorisalsoleadingtheefforttoimplementtheCognosplatformatHPU

andtotrainstaffmembersandadministratorstodevelopreportsusingthesystem.

Thedirectorappearstohavemadeprogressinstandardizingthemethodologybywhich

dataareextractedforbothexternalandinternalreportingneeds.Theseeffortsare

expectedtocontinuesothattheUniversitycanhaveconfidenceinthequalityofstudent

dataandinitsabilitytoexpandtheuseofdataindecision-making.(CFR4.2)

ItwasnotedbytheteamthattheIRfunctionatHPUwasrecentlyconsolidatedinto

theCFO’sorganizationalstructureinordertosupportandintegratewiththebudgetand

planningactivitiesoftheinstitution.ThecurrentIRDepartmentconsistsofthedirectorof

Universitystrategicinitiativesandadataspecialist.(CFR4.2)

HPU’sITDepartmenthasbeenfocusedonimprovingthecoresoftwaresystem,

Ellucian’sBanner,throughtherecentimplementationoffournewBannermodulesto

increaseefficiencyanddataconsistency.ThisefforthasallowedtheUniversitytodecrease

itsdependenceonmanydifferentsoftwareproductsandtoconsolidatedatainoneplace—

Banner.(CFR3.5)

OtherITinitiativeshaveincludedthedeploymentofnewserversandstorage

systemstoassurestabilityofdataandsystems;theupgradingoftheUniversity’sWide

AreaNetwork(WAN)toincreasespeedandprovidea“redundant”backupsystemto

improvereliabilityanduptime;andtherelocationoftheUniversity’scoredatacentertoa

modern,secure,co-locationfacilitytogrouphardwaresystemsforeaseofoperationsand

maintenance.CurrentITinitiativesincludeprojectsforidentitymanagement,degreepath

management,andfacilityscheduling.(CFR3.5)

Itwasnotedbytheteamthatanationalsearchisunderwayforanewvicepresident

andchiefinformationofficer.Itwasalsonotedbytheteamthatstaffturnoverandvacant

positionsrelatedtosignificantandmulti-yearoperatingbudgetcostreductionshave

hamperedtheUniversity’sabilitytocontinuetoadvanceitsIRandITinfrastructureandto

implementitsstrategicinitiatives.Finally,itwasnotedbytheteamthatthenewshared

33

governancecommitteesarestillintheirformativestagesandneedtocontinuetomeetand

evolvetobecomeeffectiveincontinuousplanningefforts.(CFRs3.5,4.5)

Conclusion

SelectedCommentsontheStateoftheUniversity

TheStrategicPlan,CampusMasterPlan,auditedfinancialstatements,reportsto

HPUbondholders,enrollmentreports,andotherinformationprovidedhelpedtheteam

understandbettertheinstitution’sstrengthsandthemyriadchallengesitfaces.The

meetingsandconversationswithfaculty,staff,students,administrators,andtrusteeswere

enlightening.TheteamappreciatedthecommentssharedabouttheUniversity’sacademic

programs,administration,planning,studentsupportservices,governance,assessment,

facilities,senseofcommunity,andhopesforthefuture,whilecopingwiththefrustrations,

tumult,anddislocationcausedbythesignificantbudgetcutsandstafflayoffsthatHPU

recentlyexperienced.

Itseemsclearthatdrasticbudgetcuttingwasunfortunatelyneededtopreservethe

University’sfuture.Asnoted,thereisstillalotofangerandsadnessamongstfacultyand

staffabouthowthecutswereimplemented.Thereismistrustanduncertaintyaboutthe

future.

Itisevidentthatthereisstrongdesireforbetteron-goingcommunicationabout

plansthatareunderconsiderationwithrespecttothefullimplementationoftheMaster

Plan.Thiswasalsodiscussedintheinstitution’sself-studyanditmustbeaddressed.

SomeintheUniversitycommunitydescribethemselvesasstilltraumatizedbythe

Universityresponsetothefinancialchallenges.Insomecases,theyarestrugglingto

integrateadditionalresponsibilitiesforwhichtheyhavenotbeentrainedintotheirwork.

Theyaregrievingthelossoffriends,colleagues,andmentorswhowerelaidofforsought

positionselsewhere.TheteamencouragestheUniversitytorecognizethisdynamic

directlyandtoaddressitinwaysthathelpmembersofthecommunitymoveonwiththe

workofhelpingtheUniversityachievetheboldvisionthathasbeensetforthaspartofthe

StrategicPlan.

34

Allofthisturmoilhascreatedanon-goingchallengetotheimportantHPUvaluesof

Pono,Kuleana,andAloha.ThequestionfortheHPUcommunitygoingforwardis:Howwill

itliveoutthesevaluesasitworkshardtotakeHPUtoanotherlevelintheserviceof

educatingstudentswhocometoittolearn,grow,anddevelopasproductive,caring,and

contributingglobalcitizens?

Hawai’iPacificUniversityisagainatapivotalpointinitshistory.Itisstillin

transitionfromapresidentoflong-standing(38years),toapresidentwhowillhaveserved

afive-yearterm,andtoanewpresidentwhowilltakeofficeinJuly2016.TheUniversityis

stilltryingtomergeseveraleducationalculturesatdifferentsites(Hawai’iLoaCampus,

militarybases,OceanicInstitute,anddowntown)intoamorecohesiveandunified

institutioncenteredaroundtheAlohaTowerMarketplaceintheheartofHonolulu’score

governmentandbusinessdistrictandmajortransportationroutes.

Theinstitutionhasbeenseverelychallengedbythefinancialtroublesdescribedin

thisreport,whichhasaffecteditsabilitytostabilizetherecruiting,hiring,andretentionof

keyseniorleaders,faculty,andstaff,particularlyatthemiddlemanagementlevel.Thishas

impacteditsabilitytoimprovefacultyandstaffsalaries,institutionalresearch,information

technology,enrollmentmanagement,andoverallUniversityinfrastructure.Thenew

presidentandhisleadershipteamwillneedtofocusonimprovinginstitutionalmorale,

timelyandtransparentcommunicationaboutplansanddecisions,andfundraisingthatcan

supportUniversityinitiatives.

ThekeytothestabilizationoftheUniversityisbetterrecruitment,enrollment,and

graduationofitsstudents,particularlyfirst-time,full-timefreshman,andkeepingexpenses

inlinewithincome.Thiswillrequirediscipline,execution,andevaluationofplansthat

havebeenmadeandrealisticandconservativebudgeting.Onceenrollmentmanagement

becomesmoresophisticatedandthestrategiesemployedprovidesolidresults,the

Universitycanmoveevenmoreaggressivelytosupportitsemployeesanddevelopthe

facilitiesitneedstosustainitsfuture.

35

Commendations

1. Theteamappreciatedthepreparationsforthevisitthroughthesubmissionofawell-

conceivedinstitutionalself-study.Allofthearrangementsforthevisitwereexpertly

handled,includingtransportation,lodging,meals,settingupofteamroomsatthehotel

andoncampus,anddevelopingadetailedscheduleforthevisit.Theteamalso

appreciatedHPU’scommitmenttofulfillingtheWSCUCStandards,participatinginthe

peerreviewprocess,andrespondingtoteamrequestsforfurtherinformationbefore

andduringthevisit.

2. TheUniversityiscommendedfortheStrategicPlanningeffortsthatresultedinitsfirst

institution-wideStrategicPlandated2012-2017andarelatedCampusMasterPlanin

2014.Theseinitialplanningdocumentshavehelpedguideandinformdecision-making

andthedevelopmentandimplementationofstrategiesthataretransformingthe

University.ThesedocumentsalsoprovideanemergingfoundationforfutureStrategic

PlanningeffortsastheUniversitycontinuestoadapttothecontinuallychanginghigher

educationenvironment.(CFRs4.6,4.7)

3. TheUniversityistobecommendedforstartingtobuildacultureandinfrastructure

thatsupportdata-informeddecision-makingandcontinuousplanningefforts.These

endeavorsarebeginningtobeintegratedintoUniversityresourceallocation,quality

assurance,andinstitutionallearningandimprovementactivities.TheUniversityis

encouragedtocontinuetobuildandimproveuponthisdata-informedcultureand

infrastructure.(CFRs4.1-4.6)

4. TheteamcommendsHPU’scommitmenttoandactiveengagementinthedevelopment

ofasharedgovernancemodelinvolvingfaculty,staff,andstudents.Theteam

recognizesthatthenewgovernancemodelisinthenascentstageofdevelopment.The

keyisthattheinstitutionhasstartedonapaththatshouldservetheUniversitywellin

thefuture.

5. TheteamcommendstheUniversityontheimprovementofitsprogramreviewprocess,

completingreviewsthathadnotbeencompleted,developinginstitutionallearning

outcomesbasedonWSCUC’scorecompetencies,revampingtheGeneralEducation

program,andimplementingTaskStream.

36

6. TheteamcommendstheUniversityforbeingastrongsupporteroftheYellowRibbon

program,whichhelpsformermilitarypersonnelobtaincollegedegreesanddevelop

marketableskillsforfutureemployment.

7. TheteamcommendstheBoardofTrusteesforbecomingmoreknowledgeableabout

howHPUoperates,financially,academically,andprogrammatically.Alsotobe

commendedisitsactiveleadership,support,andengagementinhelpingtostrengthen

theinstitution’sfutureandforthetimelycompletionofthesearchforthenew

president.

8. Lastly,despitethefinancialcrisisthatbefelltheUniversity,thepresident,theBoardof

Trustees,othercampusleaders,faculty,andstaffaretobecommendedfortakingbold

stepstotrytocreateamorecohesiveanddynamicsenseofplaceandcommunityfor

HPUintheheartoftheHonolulubusinesscommunity,governmentdistrict,andmajor

transportationroutes.HadtheUniversitynotbegunre-centeringtheinstitutionon

recruiting,enrolling,andgraduatingmorefirsttime,full-time,freshmanstudents,the

long-termviabilityoftheinstitutionwouldhavebeenfurtherdamagedandjeopardized.

Recommendations

1. TheUniversitycontinuestoexperiencesignificantturnoveramongseniorandmid-level

administrativepositions(e.g.,president,vicepresidentforenrollmentmanagement,

vicepresidentandchiefinformationofficer,chiefofstaff,collegedeans,directorsof

variousprograms)atacriticaltimewhennumerousstrategicinitiativesimportantto

itsfuturearebeingimplemented.Theabsenceofthisleadershipcadreissignificantly

hamperingtheabilityoftheUniversitytodevelopafullyfunctioningstaffwith

appropriateleaderswhocanhelptheUniversityachieveitsgoals.Additionally,efforts

toreduceoperatingexpensesoverthelastfiveyearshaveresultedinfacultyandstaff

reductions,turnover,andvacantpositionsthatareimpedingtheUniversity’sabilityto

adequatelysupportitsprogramsandoperations.ThisalsohasadirectimpactonHPU

studentsuccessand,ultimately,onitseducationalandinstitutionaleffectivenessthat

cannotbeunderestimated.ItisthereforerecommendedthattheUniversity

completeitshiringprocessesatthesenioradministrativelevelassoonas

possibleandstabilizeitsfacultyandstaffinglevelstoallowittoadequately

37

support,improve,andadvanceitsprograms,operations,andeducational

mission.(CFR3.1)

2. TheUniversityhasexperiencedsignificantoperatingandnon-operatingdeficitssince

FY2011thathavecontributedtoareductioninitsunrestrictednetassetsby17.2%or

$15.4millionthroughJune30,2015.Thisisasignificantreductionthatoccurred

duringatimeperiodwhenotherprivatehighereducationinstitutionswereincreasing

theirunrestrictednetassets.RecentUniversityprojectionsindicatethatthesedeficits

arelikelytodiminish,butpersist,untilFY2019orbeyond.Thesedeficits,andthe

resultingdeclineintheunrestrictednetassets,areseenbytheteamasthreatstothe

University’sabilitytocontinuetomeetitsbondcovenantsandtosupportandadvance

itsprogramsandoperations.Therefore,toachievefiscalstability,itis

recommendedthattheUniversityaccelerateexistingstrategiesandformulate

newonestoachievefinancialstability.(CFR3.4)

3. Throughoutthevisittheissueofinadequatecommunicationinavarietyofareaswas

raised,includingtheprocessforlayingoffstaffandfaculty,developmentofchargesfor

newcommitteesandtheirsubsequentleadershipandfunctioning,processtohirenew

facultyandstaff,decisionsaboutspaceallocations,andprocessformakingdecisions

aboutthefutureoftheHawai’iLoacampus,tonameafew.Therefore,theteam

recommendsthatHPUdevelopsystemsandprocessesthatwillresultinan

organizationalcultureoftimely,consistent,inclusive,andtransparent

communicationengagingallstakeholders.

4. Addressingtheenrollmentdeclinesofthelastseveralyearsmaybethemosturgent

issuefortheUniversitytoconfrontasitstrivesforfinancialviability.TheUniversityhas

identifiedtherecruitment,enrollment,retention,andgraduationoffirst-time,full-time

undergraduatestudentsasitshighestenrollmentprioritytostabilizeitsfinancesand

restoreahealthypopulationofstudentsandcommunity.Asthenewvicepresident

forenrollmentmanagementcomesonboard,theteamrecommendsthat

vigorouseffortsbemadetoestablishandtrackdisaggregateddatatounderstand

studentmarketsandpotentialpipelineschools.Itwillbeimportantforthisvice

presidenttoworkimmediatelywiththeStudentSuccessCommitteetobringthis

samedata-drivenapproachtounderstandingandimprovingstudentretention

38

andgraduation.Workingacrossorganizationallinestocollecttimely,reliable,

andconsistentinformation,addressstudentconcerns,andimproveprocesses

andprogramsthatdirectlyimpacttheeducationalexperiencewillallbeessential

inimprovingretentionandgraduationrates.

5. GiventhatthepresentStrategicPlanisnearingitsend-point;giventhefastpaced

changesoccurringattheinstitution;andgiventheanticipatedarrivalofanew

president,theteamrecommendsthatcampusleadersbeginpreparingforthe

developmentofanewcomprehensiveStrategicPlanningprocess.Thisprocess

wouldincludesubsidiaryUniversityplansinregardtoacademicprograms,

enrollmentmanagement,financialmanagement,facilities,facultyandstaff

hiring,marketing,developmentandfundraising,andtheOceanicInstitute,as

wellascollegespecificplans,thatareallinalignmentwitheachotherandwith

theoverallStrategicPlan.Thisplanningprocessshouldbeacollegial,inclusive,

andtransparentendeavorthatisdata-drivenandtakesintoaccountallrelevant

externalandinternalfactors.Alloftheseplansshouldhavemeasurablegoals

thatarepublicallyreportedtotheUniversitycommunity.Theroleofthenewly

establishedStrategicPlanningOversightCommitteeshouldbeclarifiedtofurther

institutionalizetheemergingsharedgovernancestructuresandprocessesthat

haverecentlybeenestablished.

6. TheStudentAdvisingProgramhasgonethroughseveralorganizationaliterationsover

thelastseveralyears.Thecurrentsystemhasresultedinsomeimprovements;and,as

somehavesaid,“It’swaybetterthanitusedtobe.”However,studentdissatisfaction

withasignificantportionoftheadvisingattheUniversityisstillhigh.Itisinneedof

greatimprovement.Theteamrecommendsthatahighprioritybeplacedon

makingspecialeffortstoimprovetrainingprogramsforadvisorsandrelated

studentsupportpersonnel,withthegoalofestablishingafirst-rateadvising

programthatmeetsstudents’needs.

39

APPENDICES

A.FEDERALCOMPLIANCEFORMS 1.CREDITHOURREVIEW COMPLETEDBYJANNABERSI 2/4/16 2.MARKETINGANDRECRUITMENTREVIEW COMPLETEDBYPETERMICHELL 2/2/16 3.STUDENTCOMPLAINTSREVIEW COMPLETEDBYELIZABETHGREIGO 2/3/16 4.TRANSFERCREDITPOLICYREVIEW COMPLETEDBYRICHARDGIARDINA 2/4/16B.OFF-CAMPUSLOCATIONSREVIEW COMPLETEDBYFULLTEAM 2/2/16C.DISTANCEEDUCATIONREVIEW COMPLETEDBYELIZABETHGRIEGO 2/3/16

40

CREDITHOURREVIEW COMPLETEDBYJANNABERSI 2/4/16

CREDITHOURANDPROGRAMLENGTHREVIEWFORM

MaterialReviewed

Questions/Comments(PleaseenterfindingsandrecommendationsintheCommentssectionsasappropriate.)

Policyoncredithour Isthispolicyeasilyaccessible?xYESrNO

Whereisthepolicylocated?http://hpu.edu/Academic%20Catalog/docs/2015-2016_Catalog.pdfComments:

AddressedinReportandAppendix8

Process(es)/periodic

reviewofcredithour

Doestheinstitutionhaveaprocedureforperiodicreviewofcredithourassignmentstoensure

thattheyareaccurateandreliable(forexample,throughprogramreview,newcourseapproval

process,periodicaudits)?xYESrNO

Doestheinstitutionadheretothisprocedure?xYESrNO

Comments:

AddressedinReportandAppendix8Scheduleofon-ground

coursesshowingwhen

theymeet

Doesthisscheduleshowthaton-groundcoursesmeetfortheprescribednumberofhours?

xYESrNO

Comments:

AddressedinReportandAppendix8Samplesyllabior

equivalentforonline

andhybridcourses

Pleasereviewatleast1-2fromeachdegreelevel.

Howmanysyllabiwerereviewed?8(AddressedinReportAppendix9)Whatkindofcourses(onlineorhybridorboth)?bothWhatdegreelevel(s)?undergraduateandgraduate

Whatdiscipline(s)?finance,marketing,economics

Doesthismaterialshowthatstudentsaredoingtheequivalentamountofworktotheprescribed

hourstowarrantthecreditawarded?xYESrNO

Comments:

AddressedinReportandAppendix9Samplesyllabior

equivalentforother

kindsofcoursesthatdo

notmeetforthe

prescribedhours(e.g.,

internships,labs,clinical,

independentstudy,

accelerated)

Pleasereviewatleast1-2fromeachdegreelevel.

Howmanysyllabiwerereviewed?3

Whatkindsofcourses?labsWhatdegreelevel(s)?undergraduate

Whatdiscipline(s)?biology,chemistry,environmentalsciences

Doesthismaterialshowthatstudentsaredoingtheequivalentamountofworktotheprescribed

hourstowarrantthecreditawarded?XYESrNO

Comments:

AddressedinReport

Sampleprogram

information(catalog,

website,orother

programmaterials)

Howmanyprogramswerereviewed?50

Whatkindsofprogramswerereviewed?bothWhatdegreelevel(s)?undergraduateandgraduate

Whatdiscipline(s)?business,liberalarts,nursingandhealthsciences,education,publicservice,naturalandcomputationalsciencesDoesthismaterialshowthattheprogramsofferedattheinstitutionareofagenerallyacceptable

length?XYESrNO

Comments:AddressedinReport.Currentcatalogat:http://www.hpu.edu/Academic%20Catalog/docs/2015-2016_Catalog.pdf

ReviewCompletedBy:

Date:

41

MARKETINGANDRECRUITMENTREVIEW COMPLETEDBYPETERMICHELL 2/2/16

MARKETINGANDRECRUITMENTREVIEWFORMUnderfederalregulation*,WSCUCisrequiredtodemonstratethatitmonitorstheinstitution’srecruitingandadmissionspractices.

MaterialReviewed

QuestionsandComments:Pleaseenterfindingsandrecommendationsinthecommentsectionofthistableasappropriate.

**Federalregulations

Doestheinstitutionfollowfederalregulationsonrecruitingstudents?xYESrNOComments:AddressedinReport(p.20)

Degreecompletionandcost

Doestheinstitutionprovideinformationaboutthetypicallengthoftimetodegree?xYESrNODoestheinstitutionprovideinformationabouttheoverallcostofthedegree?xYESrNOComments:AddressedinReport(p.20)

Careersandemployment

Doestheinstitutionprovideinformationaboutthekindsofjobsforwhichitsgraduatesarequalified,asapplicable?xYESrNODoestheinstitutionprovideinformationabouttheemploymentofitsgraduates,asapplicable?xYESrNO

Comments:AddressedinReport(p.20)

*§602.16(a)(1)(vii)**Section487(a)(20)oftheHigherEducationAct(HEA)prohibitsTitleIVeligibleinstitutionsfromprovidingincentivecompensationtoemployeesorthirdpartyentitiesfortheirsuccessinsecuringstudentenrollments.Incentivecompensationincludescommissions,bonuspayments,meritsalaryadjustments,andpromotiondecisionsbasedsolelyonsuccessinenrollingstudents.TheseregulationsdonotapplytotherecruitmentofinternationalstudentsresidinginforeigncountrieswhoarenoteligibletoreceiveFederalfinancialaid.ReviewCompletedBy:Date:

42

STUDENTCOMPLAINTSREVIEW COMPLETEDBYELIZABETHGREIGO 2/3/16

STUDENTCOMPLAINTSREVIEWFORMUnderfederalregulation*,WSCUCisrequiredtodemonstratethatitmonitorstheinstitution’sstudentcomplaintspolicies,procedures,andrecords.

MaterialReviewed

Questions/Comments(Pleaseenterfindingsandrecommendationsinthecommentsectionofthiscolumnasappropriate.)

Policyonstudentcomplaints

Doestheinstitutionhaveapolicyorformalprocedureforstudentcomplaints?xYESrNOIfso,Isthepolicyorprocedureeasilyaccessible?Where?StudentHandbookComments:AddressedinReportandAppendix10

Process(es)/procedure

Doestheinstitutionhaveaprocedureforaddressingstudentcomplaints?xYESrNOIfso,pleasedescribebriefly:DependingonthenatureofthecomplaintitisfiledwiththeDeanofStudents,AcademicDepartment,orCollegeOfficeIfso,doestheinstitutionadheretothisprocedure?xYESrNOComments:AddressedinReportandAppendix10

Records Doestheinstitutionmaintainrecordsofstudentcomplaints?xYESrNOIfso,where?DeanofStudentsOfficeordepartmentorcollegeofficedependingonthenatureofthecomplaintDoestheinstitutionhaveaneffectivewayoftrackingandmonitoringstudentcomplaintsovertime?xYESrNOIfso,pleasedescribebriefly:AnnualreviewofcomplaintsComments:AddressedinReportandAppendix10

*§602-16(1)(1)(ix)SeealsoWASCSeniorCollegeandUniversityCommission’sComplaintsandThirdPartyCommentPolicy.

ReviewCompletedBy:Date:

43

TRANSFERCREDITPOLICYREVIEW COMPLETEDBYRICHARDGIARDINA 2/4/16

TRANSFERCREDITPOLICYREVIEWFORMUnderfederalregulations*,WSCUCisrequiredtodemonstratethatitmonitorstheinstitution’srecruitingandadmissionspracticesaccordingly.

MaterialReviewed

Questions/Comments(Pleaseenterfindingsandrecommendationsinthecommentsectionofthiscolumnasappropriate.)

TransferCreditPolicy(s)

Doestheinstitutionhaveapolicyorformalprocedureforreceivingtransfercredit?xYESrNOIsthepolicypublicallyavailable?xYESrNOIfso,where?http://hpu.edu/Academic%20Catalog/docs/2015-2016_Catalog.pdfDoesthepolicy(s)includeastatementofthecriteriaestablishedbytheinstitutionregardingthetransferofcreditearnedatanotherinstitutionofhighereducation?xYESrNOComments:AddressedinReportandAppendix11

*§602.24(e):Transferofcreditpolicies.Theaccreditingagencymustconfirm,aspartofitsreviewforrenewalofaccreditation,thattheinstitutionhastransferofcreditpoliciesthat--

(1)Arepubliclydisclosedinaccordancewith668.43(a)(11);and

(2)Includeastatementofthecriteriaestablishedbytheinstitutionregardingthetransferofcreditearnedatanotherinstitutionofhighereducation.

SeealsoWASCSeniorCollegeandUniversityCommission’sTransferofCreditPolicy.

ReviewCompletedBy:Date:

44

OFF-CAMPUSLOCATIONSREVIEW COMPLETEDBYFULLTEAM 2/2/16

HPUofferscoursesatsixmilitarybaseinstitutionsacrosstheislandofOahu:HickamAFB,PearlHarbor,MarineCorpsBaseHawaii(MCBH)CampH.M.Smith,Schofield,MCBHKane’ohe,andTriplerAMC.ThroughitsCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducation,studentswhoareprimarilymilitaryandmilitary-affiliatedcantakecoursesleadingtooneofeightassociatedegreesoroneoftenbachelor’sdegrees.Inaddition,theCollegeofBusinessmakesitsprogramsavailableatthesamemilitarybases.

Aspartofitscomprehensivevisit,theWASCTeamvisitedMCBHKane’ohewhereitmetwiththeDirectoroftheBaseEducationCenter,theHPUadvisorwhoisonsite,andtheAsst.DeanoftheCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducation.TherearethreeanchorcollegeslocatedatMCBHKane’ohe,withHPUofferingthelargestnumberofcourses.

FitwithMission:

HPUisfullycommittedtobeingafull-serviceUniversitymeetingthehighereducationneedsoftheentireO’ahuislandcommunity.ThisincludesnativeHawaiians,otherslivingontheisland,andmilitaryforces[andtheirfamilies]servingtheircountryontheisland.HPU’sprogramsatthemilitarybasesareaimedatpreparingmilitarymenandwomentoultimatelybecomewell-functioning,fully-employedmembersofciviliansocietyeitheron-islandorelsewhere.

CurriculumandDelivery:

AllprogramsofferedbytheCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducation(CollegeX)areapprovedbytheUniversity’sCurriculumCommittee.WhileCollegeXoffersafewuniqueprograms,itservesashosttoseveralprogramsandcourseshousedinothercolleges.Inaddition,theCollegeofBusinessmakesallofitsprogramsavailabletothoseonmilitarybases.Regardlessofwheretheprogramishousedandhowitisdelivered,programsaredesignedbyqualifiedfaculty.

WhereCollegeXdeliversprogramsandcoursesanchoredinothercolleges,anAreaContentLiaisonisnamedtoensurethatcoursesarecomparableregardlessoflocationormodalityofdelivery.AllBusinesscoursesarethesamewithrespecttocontentandlearningoutcomesregardlessoflocationordeliverymethod.Allprogramsofferedatoff-sitelocationsareregularlyreviewedusingtheUniversitytemplateinordertoassurecomparablecontent,outcomes,andqualitytothoseofferedonthemaincampus.(CFR2.1,2.2,2.3,4.6)

StudentLearning:

AllprogramsuniquetoCollegeXarenewandareatthebeginningoftheirfive-yearassessmentcycle.Learningoutcomesareinplaceforeachprogramandatthe

45

courselevel.Assessmentdataaredisaggregatedtocompareperformanceofoff-sitestudentstotheperformanceofmoretraditionalstudents,withresultsshowingthenon-traditionalstudentstohavecomparablelearningachievement.(CFR2.6,4.6,4.7)

Faculty: TherecentestablishmentofthenewCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducationallowedHPUtocombineallofitsMilitaryCampusProgramsanditsSchoolofEducationunderoneumbrella.EightAA/AS,tenBA/BS,andtwomaster’sineducationdegreesareofferedtomilitaryservicemembers,theirfamilies,veterans,U.S.Governmentcivilians,andothernon-traditionalstudents.Inaddition,twobusinessdegrees(ASandBSBA)aredeliveredbytheCollegeofBusiness.AlldegreesareofferedintheclassroomsatMCBHKane’oheandfiveothermilitarybases,aswellasonlinetomeettheneedsofmilitarypersonnelandtheirfamilies.ThebaselibraryanditsresourcesareavailabletoenrolledstudentsandHPUfaculty.HPU’sInformationTechnologyServicesdepartmentlocatedatATMprovidesthenecessarytechnologysupporttostudentsandfacultyofCollegeX. Elevenfull-time,aswellasanumberofpart-time,facultyprovideinstructiontoenrolledstudents.FacultyteachingatMCBHandsupportstaffarephysicallylocatedatthebase.Dr.JustinVancecurrentlyservesastheCollege’sInterimDean.CreationofCollegeXallowedHPUtoformalizeandstrengthenitsacademicoversight,includingcurriculumdevelopment,assessmentofstudentlearning,andprogramreviewprocessesundertheauspicesofoneacademiccollege.AllprogramsofferedbyCollegeXaresubjecttoUniversityassessmentandprogramreviewrequirements.Learningoutcomesforallcoursesandprogramshavebeenestablishedandlinkedtoinstitutionallearningoutcomes.Programreviewsforongoingprogramshavebeencompletedbyfacultyorarecurrentlyintheprocessofbeingcompleted.QualityoftheLearningSite: ThefacilitiesonthebaseareprovidedandwellmaintainedbytheUSMarineCorps.TheyarealsoappropriatelyappointedandconvenientlylocatedforthestudentMarinesservedbyHPU.SupportstafftomanagethesiteareprovidedbybothHPUandtheMarineCorpsandappeartobeadequate.

46

DISTANCEEDUCATIONREVIEW COMPLETEDBYELIZABETHGRIEGO 2/3/16

DistanceEducationReview-TeamReportAppendix

Institution: HawaiiPacificUniversityTypeofVisit: On-sitevisit Nameofreviewer/s:Date/sofreview:Acompletedcopyofthisformshouldbeappendedtotheteamreportforallcomprehensivevisitstoinstitutionsthatofferdistanceeducationprograms1andforothervisitsasapplicable.Teamscanusetheinstitutionalreporttobegintheirinvestigation,then,usethevisittoconfirmclaimsandfurthersurfacepossibleconcerns.Teamsarenotrequiredtoincludeanarrativeaboutthisintheteamreportbutmayincluderecommendations,asappropriate,intheFindingsandRecommendationssectionoftheteamreport.(Iftheinstitutionoffersonlyonlinecourses,theteammayusethisformforreferencebutneednotsubmititastheteamreportisexpectedtocoverdistanceeducationindepthinthebodyofthereport.)

1. Programsandcoursesreviewed(pleaselist)AssociateofScienceinSupervisoryLeadershipAssociateofScienceinComputerScienceAssociateofScienceinCriminalJusticeAssociateofScienceinHealthProfessionsAssociateofScienceinHomelandSecurityAssociateofScienceinMathematicsAssociateofScienceinMilitaryStudiesAssociateofScienceinGeneralBusinessAssociateofArtsinGeneralStudies

BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministrationwithaConcentrationBachelorofScienceinComputerScience BachelorofScienceinCriminalJusticeBachelorofScienceinDiplomacyandMilitaryStudiesBachelorofArtsinHumanResourceDevelopmentBachelorofArtsinPsychologyMasterofBusinessAdministration(MBA)MasterofArtsinOrganizationalChange(MAOC)

*Alistofcoursesofferedonlineisattached.

1 See Protocol for Review of Distance Education to determine whether programs are subject to this process. In

general only programs that are more than 50% online require review and reporting.

2. BackgroundInformation(numberofprogramsofferedbydistanceeducation;degreelevels;FTEenrollmentindistanceeducationcourses/programs;historyofofferingdistanceeducation;percentagegrowthindistanceeducationofferingsandenrollment;platform,formats,and/ordeliverymethod)

Current:

Asof2015-16,HPUoffers9AssociateDegrees,6BachelorDegrees,and2MastersDegreesthatmaybecompletedonline.Thebulkoftheseprogramsweredevelopedtoassistinthestudentsuccessandopportunityforgraduationforactivedutymilitarystudents,aportionofHawaii’spopulationthatissignificantlylargerthaninmostregions.HistoricallythesestudentswereservedalmostexclusivelyviaHPU’ssevenmilitarybasecampusesonOahu.Thetransitionalnatureofactiveduty(e.g.,frequentdeployments,beingtransferredtootherdutystationsoff-island)calledforstrategiesthatwouldassistinallowingthisdemographicenhancedsuccessfordegreecompletion.Andalthoughthemodalitypresentssomeengagementandoperationalchallenges,HPUstrivestodeliverthisoptionwithconsiderationforacademicintegrityandcomparabilitytoface-to-faceoptions.InFallof2015thefullresponsibilityfortheonlineundergraduatebusinessprogramtransitionedtotheCollegeofBusiness,soatpresentthemajorityoftheonlineprogramsandofferingsresideundertheCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducation(formallyknownasOff-CampusPrograms)andtheCollegeofBusiness.Thegraduatelevelonlineprograms,theMasterofBusinessAdministrationin2009inpartnershipwithGreenwoodandHall.AsapartofHPUandtheCollegeofBusiness’strategicplanningprocess,itwasdeterminedthattransitioningtohigh-quality,blendedformatsforCollegeofBusinessgraduateprogramswasimportanttoachievethegoalofprovidinghigh-quality,market-relevantprogramofferings(COBStrategicGoal#1).Assuch,theprocessofmovingtowardtransitioningtoamoreblendedmodelwithteach-outpathwaysforexistingstudentsbeganandcontinuesatpresent.FortheCollegeofBusiness,trendsinstudentsparticipatingindistanceeducationprogramshasstrategicallybeenreducedinordertofocuseffortsonacademicrigorandrelevance.Onlineandon-basemilitarystudentshavebeenintegratedintothecollegeportfolioofprograms;coursedelivery,curriculumandfacultyresponsibilitieshaveallbeentransferredtotheCollegeofBusinessaswell.TheCollegestilloffersonlineandon-baseprograms,buthasmindfullyreducedtheconcentrationofferingstoaccommodateatransitioningpopulation,andhighlightsamorehybridizedmodel,offeringcoursesinacombinedfashionwithseatedandonlineoptions.Aspartofthisprocess,modalitymapping,assessment,researchandpilotingofonlineengagementapproachesarebeingintegratedintoonlineprogramsandcourses.

TheCOBalsoidentifiescurrentonlinecourseofferingswithinthecontextofthemostengagingmodalityandcourse-sequenceoptionsthatprovidestrategicflexibilitywithoutdilutingrigor,andensuringthatonlinecoursestonotcannibalizetheexistingofferings.Additionally,theCOBcontinuestoidentifythenecessarylearningdesignknowledgeandbestpracticesfromaspirantandpeerinstitutionstoidentifyandexplorethekeyvariablesnecessarytoensurehighqualitydeliveryofDEandtechnologicaltools.

AlthoughtheCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducationandtheCollegeofBusinessarethemajorplayersindistanceeducationfortheUniversityatpresent,intheothercolleges,onlineandhybridcoursesarealsobeingusedtosupplementandcomplimenttraditionaldeliverymethodstohelpsupportHPU’sgoalofdeliveringinnovativeundergraduateandgraduateprogramsthatanticipatethechangingneedsofthecommunityandglobalsociety.

HistoryofDistanceEducationatHPU:

HPUhasgrownacomprehensiveonlineschedulewithlimitedresources.HPUstartedofferingitsfirstonlinecoursesinthelate1990s.Duringthe2000s,HPUstarteddeliveringselectprogramstotallyonline.Courseandprogramdevelopmentandplanningwaslargelyduetoindividualfacultyanddepartmentinitiative,althoughsomesupportwasavailablefromHPU’sCenterforDistanceEducationduringthoseyears.Forthemostpart,theprogramsdevelopedforonlinedeliverywerenotpartofauniversitylevelplanningeffortbutwerebasedonstudentdemand.Forexample,afterSeptember11thoccurred,militarydeploymentsincreasedindurationandfrequencywhichledtoHPU’slargemilitarystudentbody.Alongthoselines,onlinedegreeprogramswereprimarilyofferedthroughHPU’sMilitaryCampusPrograms(MCP).Eventhoughonlinedegreeprogramsareavailable,HPUhasnotnormallyactivelyrecruitedstudentsoutsideofHawaiitocompletetheirdegreestotallyonline.Theprogramsareprimarilyonlineforstudentswhomustleavetheislandbeforecompletingtheirdegreesorwhoseworkschedulespreventthemfromattendingface-to-facecourses.Onlinegrowthslowedin2009andhasremainedrelativelyflatsinceebbingandflowingwithoveralluniversityenrollmenttrends.From2009-2011,acommitteeledbytheAssociateVPofOff-CampusPrograms(OCP)/MilitaryCampusPrograms(MCP)madeupofadministratorsandfacultyassemblyrepresentativesmetaspartofaDistanceEducationStrategicPlanningCommitteeatHPUwhichculminatedinthecreationofHPU’sDistanceEducationPolicy(DEQA-AppendixF)whichwasapprovedbytheCollegeDeansandtheFacultyAssemblyintheFallof2011.TheCenterforDistanceEducationbecametheCenterAdvancementofInnovativeTeaching(CAIT)in2012.Thenin2014,theFacultyTeachingFellowofficetookoverthedutiesforprofessionaldevelopmentandtrainingfordistanceeducation.

Beginningin2012,theCollegeofBusinessfacultyteachingbusinesscoursesthroughDEweresubjecttothesameprogramreviewprocessasthoseinseatedclassrooms,requiredtousethesameStudentLearningOutcomesdevelopedbyfaculty,andwererequiredtocontainthesamesyllabusrequirements.Infallof2015withthetransitionofallundergraduatebusinessstudentstotheCollegeofBusiness,theintegrationoftheprecedingassessmentandqualitystandardswasenhanced,withdirectinvolvementandparticipationacrossallmodalitiesfromCOBfaculty.

DataSummary:Duringthethreeacademicyears,2010-11,2011-12,2012-13theratioofin-classtoonlinecoursesremainedsteady.24%ofcoursesatHPUwereonline.14%wereonlineatthemaincampusand54%wereonlineinOCP/MCP.Sinceclassaverageswashigherinonlinesections,29%ofcredithourstakenattheuniversitywereonline(maincampus,19%andMCP,59%).In2012-13therewere47,700onlinecredithoursdeliveredatHPU:MainCampus,22,800credithoursandOCP/MCP,24,900credithours.(SeeAppendixBofDistanceEducationSelfStudyandRecommendationsforfulldataanalysisandrawdataavailableuponrequest).TrendsforCollegeofBusinessstudentbehaviorhasalreadyshownashiftwithanincreasingtrendofonlinecourseworkmostlikelyfromthemilitarybusinesstransitioningstudentstakingfewerclassesonbase,andmoreclassesonlineandonthedowntowncampus.

Additionally,MBAandMAOConlineprogramswereintegratedintoacohesivecourseschedulewithseatedcourses,toofferastrategicallymoreflexibleoptionforthediversestudentbodyservedbytheCollegetoincludeworkingprofessionals,militaryaffiliatedindividuals,andopportunitiesforInternationalstudentstocometoHawaiiforaresidencyexperiencethatinthepastwouldnothavebeenavailablethroughasolelyonlineprogram.

3. Natureofthereview(materialexaminedandpersons/committeesinterviewed)ObservationsandFindings

LinesofInquiry(refertorelevantCFRstoassure

comprehensiveconsideration)ObservationsandFindings Follow-upRequired

(identifytheissues)

FitwithMission.Howdoestheinstitutionconceiveofdistancelearningrelativetoitsmission,operations,andadministrativestructure?Howaredistanceeducationofferingsplanned,funded,andoperationalized?

HPU’sMissionStatement:Hawai‘iPacificUniversityisaninternationallearningcommunitysetintherichculturalcontextofHawai‘i.StudentsfromaroundtheworldjoinusforanAmericaneducationbuiltonaliberalartsfoundation.Ourinnovativeundergraduateandgraduateprogramsanticipatethechangingneedsofthecommunityandprepareourgraduatestolive,work,andlearnasactivemembersofaglobalsociety.

HPU’sDistanceLearningProgramshelpsupportHPU’sgoalofdelivering“innovativeundergraduateandgraduateprograms”thatanticipatethechangingneedsofthecommunityandglobalsociety.AllprogramsthatHPUoffersviadistanceeducationarealsoofferedin

face-to-faceformat.Assuch,theyaredevelopedandproposedbythefacultylikeanyothercurriculumprogram.Inaddition,permissionmustbeattainedbytheDepartment,College,Provost,President,andWASCtoofferaprogramonline.Theyarealsofundedthesamewayasothernewprograms.Theapprovalprocessincludesasectionoftheprogramproposalformwhichoutlinestheadditionalresourcesneeded.TheDepartment/Collegedevelopsandimplementsthespecificplanforoperationalization.

ConnectiontotheInstitution.Howaredistanceeducationstudentsintegratedintothelifeandcultureoftheinstitution?

Asnotedabove,thevastmajorityofonlinecoursetakersalsotakeface-to-facecoursesandeventheonesthatdonotaregenerallyon-islandforallorsomepartoftheirHPUcareerandstillcometoourcampusesandmayparticipateinevents.Theyalsoreceive“OhanaThisWeek”,abi-weeklye-newsletterthatgoesouttotheHPUcommunityaswellasotherupdatesfromtheUniversity.

QualityoftheDEInfrastructure.Arethelearningplatformandacademicinfrastructureofthesiteconducivetolearningandinteractionbetweenfacultyandstudentsandamongstudents?Isthetechnologyadequatelysupported?Arethereback-ups?

HPU’slearningplatformisBlackboard9.1.ItishostedbyBlackboardforHPU,whichhasresultedinastablelearningenvironmentthepastfewyears.Theplatformisconducivetointeractionbetweenfacultyandstudentsandamongstudents.In

additiontothetext-baseddiscussiontools,since2013,HPUhasprovidedeveryHPUcoursewithBlackboardCollaboratewhichisaliveaudioandvideotoolthatfacultymayuseforlearningoutcomesthatrequireorareenhancedbyliveinteraction.

BelowisafulllistofapplicationsHPUprovidesforfacultyuse.AllfacultyuseBlackboardunlessathirdpartyprogramisclearlybetterforaparticulardisciplineandapprovedbytheAcademicDean.

-BlackboardLearn(LearningManagementSystem)-BlackboardCollaborate(VirtualClassroom)GoogleAppsforEducation-iSpringPro(availablebyrequesttofaculty)-Respondus(availablebydownloadforfaculty-iClickers-MicrosoftOffice-VirtualDesktops

StudentSupportServices:Whatistheinstitution’scapacityforprovidingadvising,counseling,library,computingservices,academicsupportandotherservicesappropriatetodistancemodality?Whatdodatashowabouttheeffectivenessoftheservices?

TheCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducationandtheCollegeofBusinesshaveAcademicAdvisorsthatareespeciallytrainedandmaderegularlyavailableforadvisingbyemail,telephoneorforvirtualadvisingviaSkype.

HPUoffersonlinetutoringthroughSmartthinking.

HPULibraryprovidesalargecollectionofonlinescholarlyjournaldatabasesandebookswithspecialattentionand

resourceguidesforthedisciplinesofferedatHPU.

HPUprovidesvirtualDesktopstoallstudentswithcommonsoftwaretheyneedforclassincludingMicrosoftOffice.TheHPUITHelpDeskcallcenterisliveMon-Thur.7am-10pm,Friday7am-6pm,andSat.9am-6pm,andSun.11am-10pm.Studentscanleaveamessageanytime.

HelpDeskhoursarebasedonthedatacollectedfromstudentscontactingtheHelpDeskandareadjustedaccordinglyasappropriate.

NSSEDatashowsarelativelyhighlevelofsatisfactionforMilitaryCampusProgramsstudentswhomorecommonlyseektheirdegreesonline.TheCollegeofBusinessconsistentlyreceiveshighrankingfeedbackfromdistanceeducationstudentsonCourseEvaluationSurveysinareasofOrganizationandStudentEngagement,OnlineCourseDeliver,CourseContentandWorkload,andSkillDevelopment.

Faculty.Whoteachesthecourses,e.g.,full-time,part-time,adjunct?Dotheyteachonlyonlinecourses?Inwhatwaysdoestheinstitutionensurethatdistancelearningfacultyareoriented,supported,andintegratedappropriatelyintotheacademiclifeoftheinstitution?Howarefacultyinvolvedincurriculumdevelopmentandassessmentofstudentlearning?Howarefacultytrainedandsupportedtoteachinthismodality?

Facultywhoteachonlinecoursesaretypicallythesamefacultyteachingintheclassroom.Full-timeandadjunctfacultyteachonlineatHPU.Somefacultywhoteachonlinearecurrentlylivingoff-islandbutlivedandtaughtoncampusandthenmovedawayandwereretainediftheywereeffectiveonlineteachers.

SincethefacultywhoteachonlineforHPUareprimarilythesameastheonesthatteachintheclassroom,theyareheavilyinvolvedincurriculumdevelopmentandassessmentofstudentlearning.Eachcollegeand/ordepartmentisultimatelyresponsibleforthequalityandassessmentoftheirfaculty.TheuniversityprovidestheFacultyTeachingFellow(FTF)officewhichprovidestrainingopportunitiesandisavailableforoneononeinstructionaldesignerconsultation.Itcurrentlyhas2staffmembers.Theofficehasalsoprovidedonlinemodulestocovermanytopicsandaself-pacedonlinecourseinBlackboardfacultymaygothroughwhichtrainsthemtoteachonline.SincetheCollegeofExtendedandInterdisciplinaryEducationhomeofMilitaryCampusProgramsoffersmanyofHPU’sonlinecredits,ithastwofacultymemberswhoserveasOnlineCurriculumLiaisonswhoinadditiontotheFTFoffice,providetrainingandinstructionaldesignassistancetoeverynewfacultymemberteachingonlineandthosecontinuingteacherswhoneedhelporareteachinganewclassonline.

InadditiontoutilizingtheFTFOffice,theCollegeofBusinessconsistentlyholdstrainingsessionsattheCollegeandDepartment

levels.Allmulti-sectioncourseshavefull-timefacultymemberswhoactasCourseCoordinators,ensuringthatstudentlearningoutcomesarealignedacrosssectionsaswellastheuseofcommonartifactsutilizedforassessmentpurposes.Additionally,theCollegeofbusinessfacultyhaverequestedtheopportunitytouseacommonsyllabusandcommonBlackboardcoursetemplatetoaidincoursedevelopmentandtomaintainhighlevelsofconsistentstandardsacrossallonlineandseatedsections.

CurriculumandDelivery.Whodesignsthedistanceeducationprogramsandcourses?Howaretheyapprovedandevaluated?Aretheprogramsandcoursescomparableincontent,outcomesandqualitytoon-groundofferings?(Submitcredithourreport.)

AllcourseandprogramsthatHPUoffersviadistanceeducationarealsoofferedinface-to-faceformats.Assuch,theyaredevelopedandproposedbythefacultylikeanyothercurriculumprogram.FortheCollegeofBusiness,CourseCoordinatorsareresponsibleforensuringthatalllearningoutcomesareconsistentacrosssectionsofeachcourse.

HPUensurescomparablyofon-groundanonlineofferings.AllsyllabiforonlinecoursestaughtforthefirsttimeareapprovedbyDepartmentChairofdiscipline.HPU’sprogramreviewprocessincludesusingassessmentsfromallmodalities.Forinstance,degreesofferedonthemaincampus,militarybase,andonline,includeartifactsfrom

all3modalitiesintheirlearningassessmentactivities.ContacthoursandhomeworkguidelinesinHPUonlinecoursesreflectHPU’scredithourpolicy.

RetentionandGraduation.Whatdataonretentionandgraduationarecollectedonstudentstakingonlinecoursesandprograms?Whatdothesedatashow?Whatdisparitiesareevident?Areratescomparabletoon-groundprogramsandtootherinstitutions’onlineofferings?Ifanyconcernsexist,howarethesebeingaddressed?

HPUlooksatretentionandgraduationratesregularlybutdoesnotsystematicallyevaluateeitheroutcomebymodality.(However,itshouldbenotedthatHPUhasrelativelyfewexclusivelyonlinestudents.)

Datafromstudentsuccessoverthreeacademicyears10-11,11-12,and12-13showedonlinecourseshavean11%failurerateversusa5%failurerateforin-classcourses.GPAoverthesametimeperiodinonlinecourseswas2.88versus3.05forin-classcourses(SeeAppendixBofDistanceEducationSelfStudyandRecommendationsforfulldataanalysisandrawdataavailableuponrequest).OneoftheinitiativesundertakenbyHPUisthe.developmentofoptionalorientationmodulesforonlinestudents.ThisisinlinewithresearchdemonstratingthatwhenstudentsknowhowtonavigatetherequisiteLMSandreceiveonlinelearningtipstheirsuccessincreases.

StudentLearning.Howdoestheinstitutionassessstudentlearningforonlineprogramsandcourses?Isthisprocesscomparabletothatusedinon-groundcourses?Whataretheresultsofstudentlearningassessment?Howdothesecomparewithlearningresultsofon-groundstudents,if

HPU’sprogramreviewprocessincludesusingassessmentsfromallmodalities.Forinstance,degreesofferedonthemaincampus,militarybase,and

applicable,orwithotheronlineofferings? online,includeartifactsfromall3modalitiesintheirlearningassessmentactivities.Learningassessmentsovertheyearshaveshownlearningiscomparableinonlinecoursestoseatedcourses.

HPUwillcontinuetoassessthisimportantaspectofdistancelearningasHPUmovesforwardwithamoreuniformsystemoflearningassessmentandprogramreviewsinceithasrecentlyimplementedthesoftwaresystemTaskStream.

ContractswithVendors.Arethereanyarrangementswithoutsidevendorsconcerningtheinfrastructure,delivery,development,orinstructionofcourses?Ifso,dothesecomportwiththepolicyonContractswithUnaccreditedOrganizations?

HPUdoesnothaveanysignificantcontractswithoutsidevendorsconcerningdistanceeducation.HPUhasexploredthisoptionandwillcontinuetomonitortheindustry.

QualityAssuranceProcesses:Howaretheinstitution’squalityassuranceprocessesdesignedormodifiedtocoverdistanceeducation?Whatevidenceisprovidedthatdistanceeducationprogramsandcoursesareeducationallyeffective?

TheFacultyTeachingFellowofficecoordinatesgeneralfacultyprofessionaldevelopmentrelatedtoonlineteachinganduseofBlackboardandotherteachingtechnologies.TheHPUDistanceEducationQualityAssurancePolicy(AppendixFofDistanceEducationSelfStudyandRecommendations)hadbeenfullyimplementedforonlinecoursesdeliveredbyOCP/MCPfrom2012-2014.Inaddition,in2007OCP/MCPimplementedminimumrequirementsforonlineinstructors(respondtostudentswithin24/48hours&etc.)whichhasproved

helpfulforsettingabaselineforonlinecoursequalityinthatarea(linktocurrenteditionbelow*).ChangesinHPU’sorganizationalstructureincludingthereplacementofCAITbytheFTFofficehasmadetheHPUDEQAPolicysomewhatlimitingwithQualityMatters(QM)astheassessmenttoolthatiscurrentlyinusebyHPUintermsofcoursedesign.ForCollegeofBusinessprograms,aspartofthecurriculumandpedagogicalmappingprocess,modalitymappingisincluded,resultsfrompreviousassessmentsareloopedintocurricularchanges,andresearchandpilotingofonlineengagementapproachesarebeingintegratedintoonlineprogramsandcourses.

TheCOBalsoidentifiescurrentonlinecourseofferingswithinthecontextofthemostengagingmodalityandcourse-sequenceoptionsthatprovidestrategicflexibilitywithoutdilutingrigor,andensuringthatonlinecoursestonotcannibalizetheexistingofferings.Additionally,theCOBcontinuestoidentifythenecessarylearningdesignknowledgeandbestpracticesfromaspirantandpeerinstitutionstoidentifyandexplorethekeyvariablesnecessarytoensurehigh

qualitydeliveryofDEandtechnologicaltools.

HPUalsousesthefollowingformsofensuringeducationaleffectivenessinonlinecourses:Direct:EachAcademicDepartmentincludesonlinecourses(ifoffered)intheirregularLearningAssessmentsandProgramReviewcycles.Indirect:QMcoursedesignreviewsforcoursestaughtthefirsttimebynewfaculty.PeerReviewsonceperyearforadjunctfaculty,EndofCourseEvaluationineverycourse,CourseReadinessCheckineverycourse(inCEIE). PassiveAssessment:NationalSurveyofStudentEngagement(NSSE)survey

*http://www.hpu.edu/Military_Campus_Programs/MCP_Docs/MinimumExpectations.pdf

Rev3/2015