This document summarizes the results of focus groups held across the Victor Valley region to gather community feedback on Victor Valley College's Educational Master Plan. Over 15 days, 27 focus group sessions were held with 170 total participants representing various sectors of the community. The sessions explored the community's perceptions of VVC's past, present, and future directions. Overall, participants expressed strong support for VVC's goals and strategic priorities in the Educational Master Plan, especially increasing student access, developing new programs, and collaborating with community partners. The feedback also highlighted opportunities to improve perceptions of VVC's fiscal responsibility and student services.

1. Taking the Educational Master Plan to the Streets
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

2. Take the EMP to the High Desert
streets…
Where have
we been?
Where are
we now?
Where do we go What do community
members think of the game
next? plan so far?
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

3.  Apple Valley Chamber Office
 Apple Valley High School
18 locations across the region
 AVUSD Offices
 Citizen's Business Bank
 Desert Valley Hospital
 Excelsior High School
 Hesperia Chamber Office
 Residence in Hesperia
 Hispanic Chamber
 Lucerne Valley Community Center
 Marriott Courtyard, Sherman Oaks
 Phelan Community Center
 Shear Realty, Spring Valley Lake
 VV African-American Chamber
 Victorville Chamber of Commerce
 Victorville City Hall
 Victor Valley College
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

4. Education 58
▪ 27 sessions over 15 days (9/13/2012
to 10/3/2012) Business/Industry 57
▪ 170 participants VVC Employee 40
▪ 24 years average High Desert residency
Other 24
▪ 18 years average time worked in the
High Desert Community-Based Org 22
▪ First "extended stay" in the High Desert Government 19
ranging from 1945 to 2012
▪ Multiple sectors represented
VVC Student 17
(duplicated counts)
Faith-Based Org 10
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

5. ▪ Participants’ interactions with VVC
range from being graduates or
students, attending cultural events
and/or participating in meetings on the
campus
▪ Only 2 of 170 participants indicated
never having any interactions with VVC
▪ Participants represent a robust cross-
section of High Desert residents capable
of providing valuable perspective and
insight into VVC’s past and future
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

6.  Developed systematic focus group
protocol
 Trained group of volunteers from
among VVC workforce to facilitate
 PIO & VVCF arranged groups across
the region
 Facilitators deployed protocol with
groups of 4 to 8 community
members
 1 to 2 hour discussions gathering
feedback on VVC
goals, priorities, and public image
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

7.  VVC is perceived as very important to the community
and to participants personally
 There is general support for the goals set by the
Board of Trustees, albeit with valuable constructive
criticism
 Opportunities exist to improve perceptions about
VVC’s fiscal responsibility and service to students
 Educational quality is perceived to be positive
 Broad support is found for the strategic directions
set forth in the Educational Master Plan—in fact…
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

8.  All 7 of the Strategic Priorities identified in EMP
2012 are perceived as worthy of “Top 3” status in the
eyes of our community members—with the most
popular priorities related to
Increasing student access (SP1)
Responsible development of new programs (SP3)
Collaborating with community partners (SP5)
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

9. 61% SP1 - Meet the needs of
all students through a
27% variety of scheduling
options, class
21%
locations, service
12% delivery methods, and
universal access to
39% programs and services.
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

10. 29%
SP2 - Expand the use of
technology to improve 4%
instructional
programs, student 12%
support services, and
campus support 13%
operations.
71%
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

11. 52%
SP3 - Develop innovative
19% education and training
programs guided by
15%
market demand and
18% available institutional
assets and resources.
48%
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

12. 42%
SP4 - Improve
institutional performance 9%
on measures of student
17%
success, institutional
effectiveness, and fiscal
15%
responsibility.
58%
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

13. SP5 - Collaborate with
48%
regional K-12
21% schools, business
partners, and
15% community-based
organizations to improve
12% college and career
readiness of High Desert
52% students.
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

14. SP6 - Provide 26%
consistent, high quality
customer service to 6%
empower
8%
students, community
members, and fellow
12%
employees throughout
the campus. 74%
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

15. 19%
7% SP7 - Foster an inclusive
campus climate where all
4% are
welcomed, respected, and
8% valued.
81%
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

16.  Strategic priorities in EMP
[SP3]
Innovative, fe
2012 adequately cover
asible
training most community
programs
[SP5]
Collaboration
[SP4]
Performance
concerns
with on
community accountability
partners measures
[SP1]
Alternative,  SP1, SP3, and SP5 most
accessible
scheduling popular
[SP6]
[SP2]
High quality
Expanded
customer
technology use
service
[SP7]
 These priorities must be
Inclusive, welc
oming campus core considerations in
climate
planning and allocating
resources
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

17.  In addition to gathering feedback on the EMP, participant
perceptions of VVC’s image were assessed.
 Participants provided suggestions for how we can achieve the
district “image” goal—that is, having a reputation of being a high
quality educational institution.
 Opportunities for improvement of public perceptions of VVC’s
fiscal responsibility and services to students should be
addressed.
 Participants were asked to describe VVC in one word—depicted
by the word cloud on the next page.
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

18. Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

19.  VVC is necessary, import-
ant, and essential to the
Where have
community.
we been?
 Community support is
found for the EMP, but
Where are there is a lot of work
we now? ahead.
Where do we go  We have an opportunity
now to continue evolving
next? and improving.
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012

20. email Virginia.Moran@vvc.edu
Victor Valley College Office of Institutional Effectiveness :: Fall 2012