The Theory of Change is ACC’s strategic plan for building a more connected college and improving the student experience. It outlines what we are changing across areas such as advising, scheduling, tutoring, basic needs support, and employee development. The Institutional Effectiveness Report Card helps us consider the next part of the story. How will we know whether this work is making the difference we intended?
The Theory of Change and the IE Report Card work together to connect strategy with impact. The Theory of Change guides the work. The IE Report Card helps us understand whether that work is producing the outcomes we want. That connection helps us look beyond whether we completed a project or launched a new process. Those are important steps, but they do not tell us whether students are better able to navigate ACC, make progress, continue from one year to the next, and complete their goals. We need to measure impact, not effort.
The IE Report Card gives us one important source of data for understanding our progress. It can show us where student outcomes are improving, where gaps remain, and where we may need to take a closer look.
Our long-term goal is for students entering ACC in 2030 to experience a fully reimagined college that supports a 70 percent completion rate for that entering cohort.
The Theory of Change is our strategic plan for what we will do. The IE Report Card helps us understand whether it is working. Together, they help ACC stay focused not just on the work we complete, but on the difference that work makes for our students.
