The Standardized Evaluation of Programs & Services (STEPS) is the annual reporting component of the five-year Mission Fulfillment Review process. During the annual STEPS reporting process, all college programs and services will review and address the following:
- Mission, Vision, and Goals
- Courses and Outcomes Review (Instruction) or Services Review (Operations and Services)
- Published Materials
- Data Trends (quantitative and/or qualitative)
- Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
- Continuous Improvement
- Reflection on the Process
Who Should Report?
All programs, both instructional and non-instructional, will submit STEPS reports each year. Reporting will usually be done by the relevant Dean or Director, though in some instance a department chair or even vice president might be the lead. Program reporters should be determined by the Division leadership. In all cases, the reporting lead should communicate and coordinate with stakeholders and subject-matter experts in and related to their program to get the information they need and present as full a picture as possible.
How Detailed Should My STEPS Report Be?
As detailed as you can, while understanding that as an annual process, the purpose of STEPS reporting is to help you see patterns and make decisions and to inform the five-year Mission Fulfillment Review process, so please temper your expectations and balance time and priorities accordingly. What is it that you need to make informed decisions? Concentrate on that.
Steps in the STEPS Process
- Download the proper STEPS report depending on if you are reporting for an Instructional, Student Support, or College Operations program.
- Collect and analyze information. Information could come from many different places. Work with your leadership to identify what’s best for your program. Instructional programs can get student enrollment and success rates from the STEPS Instructional Dashboard. If you can’t find what you need, please submit a Research Request form so WWCC Institutional Research & Effectiveness can help.
- Once you’ve filled out the STEPS report for your program, upload it here by June 30.
What If There’s No Data?
Data and information aren’t always available. If you can’t find what you need, please submit a Research Request form so WWCC Institutional Research & Effectiveness can help. It may be that in some cases that we don’t currently collect the kind of data you need. In such cases, IRE might be able to help create data collection processes you can use for future reporting. Identifying such needs and working to improve what we can learn is an important part of this effort. Any sections in the STEPS report you can’t address should be highlighted and a plan for addressing them in the future explained.
STEPS Instructional Dashboard
The Tableau dashboard below provides information to help understand student enrollment and performance in instructional programs at the course level. Each step in the process of completing the STEPS report form is presented as a different, numbered tab, and should walk you through the process. For additional information on dashboard elements, please consult the glossary tab.
If you have additional questions, or to report a problem, please contact Research Analyst Nyx Mann by telephone at (509) 527-4310 or email ([email protected]).
Click here to open the dashboard in another window. Requires college authentication.