Kapi‘olani Community College’s Dedication to Continuous Improvement
“Kūlia i ka nu‘u” (“strive for the summit”) was the motto of our namesake, Queen Kapi‘olani. At Kapi‘olani Community College, we celebrate our many successes while continuously striving to evolve and improve both what we do (outcomes) and how we do it (processes). Our commitment to continuous improvement is a clear, consistent, and intentional approach to goal setting, targeted data collection and analysis, and reflection. This process ensures data-informed decision-making throughout the institution.
The Continuous Improvement Process
Continuous improvement is iterative and cyclical. It includes the following phases:
- PLAN: Establish clear and measurable outcomes that are informed by the findings of the previous iteration of the process. Directly align strategies for collecting data that will allow us to evaluate our progress toward the goal at the end of the execution phase.
- EXECUTE: Execute the plans and collect relevant data.
- ANALYZE: Analyze the data to produce findings regarding progress toward the goal.
- REFLECT: Utilize findings to inform next steps and new/revised goals (i.e., the next iteration of planning).
Continuous Improvement Across the Institution
The continuous improvement process occurs at every level across the College, from individual to institutional. Examples of this process of planning, executing, analyzing, and reflecting with a focus on leveraging data to continuously improve include:
- Institution: strategic planning, institutional learning outcomes assessment, integrated resource planning
- Departments & Units: strategic planning, service area outcomes evaluation
- Programs: program learning outcomes assessment/curriculum mapping, program review
- Courses: student learning outcomes assessment
- Individual: staff, faculty, and admin performance reviews
