About

About

Vision

Members of the University community are able to readily understand and apply institutional information to support effective decision making. 

Mission

Institutional Research and Analytics (IRA) provides accurate data, reliable information and reporting, and expert analysis and guidance on use of data in support of the University's teaching, research, and service mission.  IRA serves all members of the University's academic community with support for planning, decision-making, policy development, assessment, and compliance requirements through the following four core functions:

Data and Analytics

  • Oversee and operate University Business Intelligence (UBI), the Academic Division's enterprise reporting environment, providing both technical administration and development expertise.
  • Collaborate and consult with units to design and develop new and improved analytics and reporting solutions (e.g., dashboards) to support strategic and operational missions.
  • Manage the University's response to consortiums and data sharing organizations (e.g., Common Data Set, AAUDE), and leverage that data for comparative analysis.
  •  Lead and coordinate data governance activities with robust processes that support greater access, trust, understanding, protection, and ethical use of institutional data.
  • Promote a culture of data literacy and the use of self-service analytics capabilities and tools.

Institutional Accreditation and Compliance

  • Manage and certify external reporting requirements, including the Federal Government (IPEDS) and State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV) annual data reports and SCHEV student learning competency assessments.
  • Promote institutional adherence with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation, SCHEV, and federal government (e.g., Department of Education distance education) academic compliance requirements.
  • Collaborate with schools to verify academic program alignment with institutional policies and procedures, and communicate changes in policies and procedures affecting academic programs.
  • Facilitate effective and efficient management of changes to academic programs that require institutional and/or external approvals, and promote best practices in compliance requirements.

Survey Research

  • Provide expertise and support in survey development, administration, analysis, and interpretation.
  • Manage the administration, analysis, and reporting of institutional and consortium surveys to provide an informed examination of the student experience (e.g.., Student Experience in Research Universities [SERU], CIRP, Gallup-Purdue Index, AAU Campus Climate Survey).
  • Promote best practices in survey research to ensure valid and reliable results.
  • Educate and encourage the University community to enhance use of survey findings.

Assessment and Program Evaluation

  • Support planning, implementation, and reporting of student learning assessment at all levels, from course-based to institution-wide.
  • Promote faculty awareness, access, and use of institutional and survey data for academic program management.
  • Lead in advocating for assessment methods that are feasible and that provide useful information for planning curricula, managing programs, and enhancing the student experience.
  • Collaborate with colleagues in assessment at other institutions of higher education.

Institutional Research and Analytics is guided by the following five principles:

ACCESS: promote accessibility of our services by providing education, guidance, and consultation, tailored to the needs of the partner.
COLLABORATION: enable a culture of efficiency and collaboration, setting up reciprocal expectations regarding scheduling, time commitments, and response times.
CREATIVITY:  encourage creativity and innovation to improve processes and to develop the highest quality solutions.
INTEGRITY:  maintain the highest standards of accuracy and integrity, as stewards of the University’s valuable information resources.
COMMUNICATION: communicate information and decisions in a timely and transparent manner.