Purpose

The purpose and functions of Institutional Research, Planning, and Outcomes Assessment are as follows:

Institutional Research

• Provide relevant, general instructional information to the institutional community, administrators, the external community, and external agencies.
• Initiate and perform research relevant to anticipated institutional policy and decision-making.
• Provide support institution-wide for obtaining data or information, or performing analyses in response to specific needs.
• Participate in the design and maintenance of internal information systems for administrative uses.

Planning

• Coordinate development of policy analyses and other supporting resources for institutional evaluation, planning and policy-making.
• Assist with the integration of planning with institutional research and outcomes assessment in support of institutional decision-making and policy development.
• Assist the institution in understanding the external environment, its opportunities and challenges, and build on institutional strengths and values to aid decision-makers in setting directions which will guide policy and strategies to achieve our institutional mission.
• Interact with and provide information on institutional goals, priorities, needs, and perspectives to external agencies for their planning, policy development, and recommendation processes in coordination with other liaison activities and responsibilities of institutional administrators.

Outcomes Assessment

• Facilitate the development of an awareness of outcomes assessment in the institutional community.
• Function as a conduit for communication of outcomes assessment activities which are occurring in the units. Coordinate assessment activities.
• Integrate outcomes assessment into both the external and internal planning and program review activities of the institution.
• Provide resource support for unit activities related to outcomes assessment.