A1300.10 Institutional Evaluation / Research

 

Statement
Roles and Responsibilities
Preparing for Evaluation and Research
Data Collection and Analysis
Reporting and Dissemination
Action Preparation
Compliance and Ethics
Conclusion

 

Statement

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The College upholds a culture of continuous development, data-informed decision-making, and responsibility through institutional evaluation and research. The stages and duties involved in performing institutional evaluation and research activities are described in this procedure.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

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1. Office for Institutional Effectiveness (OIE):

• Institutional evaluation and research efforts must be coordinated and managed by the OIE.
• The team within the OIE:
  • Manages certain data and analytics programs (such as SAP Business Objects, or CROA; Survey Monkey; IPEDS Data Portal; ICCB faculty, salary, credit hour, and enrollment reports; SmartEvals graduate exit and follow-up surveys; Lightcast Analyst)
  • Facilitates the identification of programs and reports managed by other institutional offices that may be useful to the efforts (such as SmartEvals course evaluations; Colleague reports; ICCB financial reports; National Student Clearinghouse; Lightcast Career Coach; Perkins; Adult Education (Daisi); etc.).
  • Provides data analysis and reporting support to faculty and staff during evaluation and research efforts.

 

2. Faculty and Staff:

• It is the responsibility of the faculty and staff to:
  • Provide data, information, and insights through their identified roles in the institution, such as entering data accurately and timely into Colleague, ensuring course evaluations are completed by students, completing ICCB and IPEDS survey requests, etc.
  • Identify and define the questions and solutions needed for research and evaluation efforts.

 

Preparing for Evaluation and Research

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NOTE: *Consult the Data Governance procedures for maintaining the integrity of the data, including the availability, quality, security, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements prior to conducting institutional evaluation or research activities.

1. Define the goals of the research:

• Specify the questions or issues that need to be addressed.
• The goals and objectives of the evaluation or research project should be narrowed to be manageable within a single project and clearly stated in a question format.
  • Align research and evaluation goals to the college’s strategic plan and ensure research activities aid in the accomplishment of strategic objectives.

 

2. Data Gathering Strategy:

• With the assistance of the OIE, create a strategy and timeline for gathering relevant data, including the choice of data sources, tools, and methods to answer the research question(s).
  • Determine what existing data are relevant to the research question(s) and how those can be obtained.
  • Determine what data still needs to be collected to thoroughly answer the research question(s) and how those can be collected.

 

Data Collection and Analysis

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Note: *See the Data Dashboard/Fact Book/Analytics (A1300.20), Data Requests (A1300.25) and Surveys (A1300.30) procedures, as needed.

1. Data Collection:

• With the assistance of the OIE, gather information using suitable techniques, such as program queries/reports, surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, or other appropriate methods.
• Ensure the accuracy, integrity, and adherence to moral principles of the data.

 

2. Data Analysis:

• With the assistance of the OIE, utilize suitable statistical or qualitative data analysis techniques and tools to analyze the data obtained.
• Interpret the results to arrive at relevant conclusions.

 

Reporting and Dissemination

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1. Creating a report:

• Create a thorough report that summarizes the results of the study or evaluation.
• Add brief and clear explanations, graphs, tables, and suggestions where appropriate.
• Ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of personally identifiable information.

 

2. Review and Approval:

• Send the report for approval to the appropriate parties, such as the directors, deans, or senior administrators.

 

3. Dissemination:

• Share study findings and evaluation reports with the campus community through suitable avenues, such as Shared Governance Teams, newsletters, websites, or presentations.

 

Action Preparation

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1. Recommendations:

• Develop actionable recommendations based on research or evaluation results.
• Identify responsible parties and the timelines for implementing recommended actions.
• Include the timeline and mechanism for tracking progress.

 

2. Tracking Progress:

• Maintain a regular progress monitoring of the actions plans.
• Make the appropriate modifications to achieve the desired outcomes.

 

3. Infrastructure for Data Collection:

• To improve research capabilities, recommendations could include infrastructure improvements for data collection, analysis, and dissemination, including software, hardware, and training.

 

Compliance and Ethics

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1. Ethical Guidelines:

• To preserve the privacy of persons and sensitive data, make sure that all research and evaluation activities comply to ethical standards.

 

2. Compliance and Regulations:

• Comply with all pertinent laws, regulations, and moral standards when doing research and gathering data.

 

Conclusion

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The institutional evaluation and research procedure ensures that research and evaluation activities are carried out effectively, ethically, and in a way that supports the college’s mission, vision, and continuous improvement.

 

Change Log
Date	Description of Change	Governance Unit
02.29.24	Initial Adoption	Executive Council