Improving Student Success

Excellence in Education (EIE) Award:
Improving Student Success – Institutional

The VCCS New Horizons 2010: Discover What’s Next planning committee is pleased to announce the Excellence in Education (EIE) Award: Improving Student Success – Institutional.

This recognizes individuals who may not directly teach students, but have nonetheless positively affected student success through a project or their work. This includes personnel such as deans, student aides, tutors, advisors, program heads, and those in the areas of finance, student affairs, H/R, admissions, outreach, policy and safety, health, library, testing, etc.

It may include the use or implementation of any instructional support or institutional effectiveness program, process, pedagogy, procedure, plan or policy in a learning environment that helps support student success. Because this category can be very interpretive, applicants should submit entries which can be judged as reasonably above-and-beyond, or out of the ordinary work that has demonstrated a very high degree of impact on student success.

Examples

A process to streamline the advising scheduling that improves student success.
A policy on late enrollment or withdrawal that greatly improves student success through quality of service.
A library procedure that somehow has positively affected student success.
A successful tutoring system for handling students repeating courses.
A pedagogy used to prepare at-risk students for the rigors of college.
A superb dual enrollment system that streams successful entrants into community colleges.
An organized network of resources compiled to help students with non-school/academic-related issues such as homelessness.
A reengineering of paperwork flow.
A customer service plan that has improved student retention or satisfaction in a particular area.
An organized system for gathering and implementing student comments, ideas or suggestions.
A process that allows quicker access to course enrollments for the upcoming semester, through coordinating a combined effort with various departments.
A financial-aid policy that helps students succeed in gaining necessary funds, budgeting, or using those funds wisely.
A system to update lab equipment or practice better audio-visual scheduling for classroom use.
A policy or procedure that enhances positive student retention, thereby fostering student success.
A process for coordinating internships or helping students meet with potential or future employers.
An outreach or student affairs program that enhances student success.
Specialty email systems.

Judging Criteria:

Criteria will be rated on a scale from 1 to 5.

(1 = needs improvement; 2 = fair; 3 = good; 4 = very good; 5 = excellent; NA = not applicable)

1. Project Description

Is clear and understandable.
Serves the mission of the VCCS strategic plan.
Demonstrates creativity/originality/”thinking outside the box.”
Is based on sound educational principles and practices.

2. Applicability

Is “user-friendly” and easily adopted by staff and students alike.
Demonstrates transferability across disciplines and institutions and offers suggestions for such transferability.
Demonstrates viability over an extended period of time.

3. Impact

Describes how the project makes teaching and learning more effective or efficient.
Provides evidence on the size of the student population impacted by the project.

4. Effectiveness of Presentation (at the conference)

Effectively communicated with audience at the Excellence in Education reception.
Effectively utilized the technology during at the Excellence in Education reception.
Provided a 4-8 minute video of the project in use (optional).

Eligibility

Full-time and part-time VCCS employees of all personnel categories are eligible to receive the Excellence in Education (EIE) Award: Improving Student Success or be a member of an EIE award-winning team.

Submission

Self-nominations for individuals or teams for the Excellence in Education (EIE) Award: Improving Student Success will be accepted through the conference web site until January 15, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. Multiple nominees for a single project are asked to make their submission together. At this point, they are nominees.

Out of the nominees, individuals or teams (called “finalists”) will be selected to present their project at the Excellence in Education reception (similar to a “poster session”) on Wednesday afternoon, April 7, 2010, starting at 4:30 p.m. with a private hour with judges, followed by the full reception from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Finalists are also required to present their projects during a concurrent session. All must register for and attend the conference. Lead presenters are given top priority for lodging at the conference hotel.

Finalists will be notified by February 1, 2010. Finalists will have 7 days to confirm their acceptance by emailing newhorizons@vccs.edu and putting "EIE Award Acceptance" in the subject line.

Winners will be determined among the finalists and will be announced the next day at the awards luncheon on April 8, 2010.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I apply if I received an award last year?

Presenters of projects nominated and showcased in a prior year need to explain how the current year's nomination is new, materially improved, or materially different than the prior year's submission. Nominations must be for work done in the Virginia Community College System.

2. If selected as an Excellence in Education (EIE) Award: Improving Student Success finalist, what type of presentation can I make?

Finalists will have a table in the Crystal Ballroom to display materials related to their project from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in a private hour with judges, followed by the full reception from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. on Wednesday, April 8. Finalists are also expected to provide a concurrent session on Wednesday afternoon, Thursday, or Friday morning. Consult the call for proposals information to find out more about concurrent session requirements and opportunities. In addition, finalists are highly encouraged to prepare a 4-8 minute video of their project in action to be shown at their table at the reception as well as possibly used at the awards ceremony itself, for conference promotions, and posting on the VCCS New Horizons iTunes University website.

3. What do the awardees get?

The college of the winning project will receive $300. The 1^st Runner-up will receive a $200 award. If multiple colleges are involved, the purse will be split between the colleges. Both awards may be used by the college(s) for travel, hardware, software, or other expenses to support the project. Each project participant will receive a certificate.

4. How will my team communicate with the conference organizers?

All contacts between presenters and VCCS will be through email. The VCCS will contact only the primary author who will be responsible for informing the rest of his/her team of any communications between the system office and the team regarding this project.

Click here to access the EIE-Improving Student Success Submission Form