Leading the Noncredit Effort in the Community College World

Over the past year, The Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP) has made its mark in the noncredit world under the leadership of Dr. Tina M. King. Director, Dr. King is the first director of Noncredit of Institutional Research and Planning in the nation. She is responsible for leading institutional research that measures program effectiveness, enrollment trends, and student success data pertaining to retention, persistence, and completion rates.

Dr. King was hired in 2016 to lead North Orange County Community College District’s, North Orange Continuing Education’s (NOCE) research efforts for noncredit. King brought with her a strong background in educational practice and research. Once on board, Dr. King hired a diverse team of researchers so the team could spearhead the innovative work for NOCE. Within the first month, Dr. King hit the ground running on several institution-wide and statewide projects including an institutional effectiveness report, campus climate survey, and student stop-out survey

The research team worked extensively to develop NOCE’s new Strategic Plan/Integrated Planning Model. This model is dedicated to NOCE’s institutional effectiveness. Additionally, the team has broken the code for NOCE and defined noncredit indicators institution-wide for the first time. They have served as pioneers in the world of noncredit and have presented these indicators at several statewide and national conferences. The research team works hard to be innovative in the field of noncredit and adult education. They have focused on bringing qualitative and quantitative research to NOCE. This past fall, the research team led NOCE’s first Campus Climate Survey for students and employees. In addition, they have released their first Stop-Out Survey for returning High School students. Both surveys are intended to gather valuable feedback from NOCE students. The research team submitted data reports to SSSP, Student Equity, and Basic Skills Program Managers to develop NOCE Integrated Plan. Based on the plan, the team developed an evaluation plan and assisted program managers with embedding equity mindedness within the culture of NOCE.

Dr. King was recognized for her contributions towards The California Community College Chancellor’s Office’s process of developing the dashboard Launchboard that will specifically display adult education metrics. King participated in the development of this dashboard, which will highlight noncredit program metrics separate from credit-based program outcomes.

Lastly, King’s goal is to continue to lead the community college world in their noncredit efforts, while continuing to strengthen the commitment to evidence-based decision making and integrated planning that enhances student success. The plight of the noncredit world is still unknown, but NOCE’s research team is dedicated to adding value to the field of noncredit. The research team continues to work in conjunction with the Research and Planning (RP) Noncredit Taskforce in efforts to standardize noncredit metrics at a state level.