Welcome to the AQIP Categories Improvement Project 

So far, this page has been visited  times.

This collaborative site is for educators and quality enthusiasts who want to help improve the AQIP Category items -- the questions that AQIP organizations answer in creating a Systems Portfolio. In improving the Category items, we want to make sure that colleges and universities who have already created Systems Portfolios are not forced suddenly to redo or revise their efforts. Therefore, any changes we made need to be "backward compatible" to make it as simple as possible for both organizational users and Systems Appraisers to shift between the original items and the revised items. We want to limit this first revision to the things that must be changed. What would be nice to change will come later.

Therefore, in this conservative, first revision of the AQIP Categories, we want to:

• clarify items that are difficult to understand or confusing

• simplify items that are overly complicated

• remove items that do not help institutions understand themselves better

• reduce "Context" and "Notes" (which appear in blue) items to a minimum

In doing this, we want to make sure some things do not change at all.  Specifically, we want to

• maintain all nine AQIP Categories

• maintain essential "Process" and "Results" items in each Category

Finally, because we will still end up with more items than any organization can answer "in depth" in a Systems Portfolio, we would like to help colleges and universities (and Systems Appraisers) identify which items are the most appropriate ones for beginning, intermediate, and advanced organizations pursing continuous improvement. This information would be advisory only -- to help institutions choose which items they decide to cover in depth.

You can suggest changes in any section of any of the Categories. Select the section you want to improve, click on edit, make the changes you think are wise, and save your edited page. You can delete, add, or revise, and others will be able to see both earlier versions of the Categories as well as your edited version. Participants in this project can compare any two versions and see how they differ. For your own current printable version of the nine Categories and all the items they include, download Principles and Categories.doc or Principles and Categories.pdf.

In addition to suggesting changes, you can also make Comments (using the box at the top of every page) on any of the nine Categories. By clicking the Notifications Settings link at the bottom of any page, you may also "subscribe" (via RSS) to this Wiki, and you will receive an email every time someone makes changes. For answers to other questions you may have about this project, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

In the end, the colleges and universities participating in AQIP will have ample opportunity to review and approve the changes we decide to make before they become official; we see that approval process occuring in April and May, 2008. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and contributions.

Select the Category or section you want to edit or comment on from this list (or from the Sidebar menu):

Introducing the AQIP Categories

Organizational Overview

AQIP Category 1 - Helping Students Learn

AQIP Category 2 - Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives

AQIP Category 3 - Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs

AQIP Category 4 - Valuing People

AQIP Category 5 - Leading and Communicating

AQIP Category 6 - Supporting Institutional Operations

AQIP Category 7 - Measuring Effectiveness

AQIP Category 8 - Planning Continuous Improvement

AQIP Category 9 - Building Collaborative Relationships