Executive Director of Institutional Research and Assessment

VISION & CHARTER

The Office of Institutional Research & Assessment (OIRA) provides reliable information and analyses in support of planning, decision-making, policy formation, assessing institutional effectiveness and oversight of data-base systems. OIRA coordinates mandatory and voluntary reporting of institutional data to internal and external constituencies, including the Council of Chiropractic Education, Department of Education, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission. The OIRA team collaborates with the faculty and other departments across campus to develop and implement a college-wide plan for assessment of learning outcomes. The department of IR must work closely and in association with the Learning, Innovation and Teaching Excellence (LITE) department to develop and assist in faculty development. The office is guided by the Code of Ethics and Professional Practice as well as the Statement of Ethical Principles published by the Association for Institutional Research.

The Main Areas Of Support Include

• Developing analytical approaches, tools and resources to facilitate institutional decision-making.
• Decision Support – Technology and Systems Oversight
• Accreditation Support
• Planning - Working with campus constituents to clarify goals, develop meaningful measures of success, and facilitate institutional alignment around strategic priorities.
• Research - Managing a longitudinal program of student, faculty, and alumni surveys and implementing targeted studies on a variety of topics relating to institutional goals.
• Reporting - Providing College data to internal and external audiences.
• Data Governance - Contributing to the development of policies and practices that support the effective, ethical use and stewardship of data assets.
• Develop and employ assessment strategies and tools to support student academic success, instructional efficacy, and measurable learning.
• Develop and employ institutional research tools and measures to inform leaders and departments on the efficacy of efforts to improve and to develop a culture of assessment at Life Chiropractic College West.
  
  

PURPOSE

Reporting to the EVP, the Executive Director of Institutional Research and Assessment is responsible for facilitating all facets of assessment across the institution, assisting the institutions leaders and all departments in developing and sustaining a culture of assessment at Life Chiropractic College West (LCCW). The director will work to build a data-driven environment to measure alignment of student learning outcomes and program learning outcomes and to ensure measures of assessment across departments are developed, deployed and reported to leaders. This leader is also responsible to participate in the Technology and the (Technology Administrative Group, TAG) group. Will communicate with Varsity, Qlik, our SIS and LMS and other vendors. They will encourage innovation, value scholarly discourse and strive to create a community of educators whose focus is on excellence, creating an excellent learning institution. As the Executive Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, will ensure system-wide academic assessment (student and programmatic) occurs in a systematic manner. Provide leadership in the continued development and refinement of the college's strategic plan.

Essential Job Functions

• Oversees and maintains the primary source of institutional data to be used in all external, local, state and national reporting, forecasting and evaluation;
• Reports and analyzes institutional data required by external agencies including but not limited to: U.S. Department of Education (including IPEDS) and accrediting agencies (WSCUC and CCE)
• Is responsible to uphold and ensure that the institution meets (WSCUC) CFRs 2.13, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.2 and others as applicable.
• Serve as IPEDS Key Holder
• Ensures that reports meet stated requirements and are consistent with current standard practices.
• Provides leadership for the design, development and maintenance of longitudinal databases to ensure integration between all systems (student information, faculty workload, finance, etc.) and to alleviate reporting issues
• Consult and provide technical expertise and consultation regarding student information and learning management systems to support college planning, research, analysis, grant development, and reporting.
• Monitor data from peer institutions; maintain benchmark data and distribute relevant information to appropriate departments and offices.
• Conducts a regular schedule of surveys, analyzes and prepares reports on the surveys, and maintains a comparative and trend file of survey results.
• Oversee and create assessment tools/instruments including but not limited to: those used in the Health Center, and DC program.
• Collect qualitative data for planning, evaluation, and decision making. Then interprets, translates and articulates the data into trends, key findings, key areas of concerns, deficits, key performance indicators, opportunities, action item suggestions for the college leadership. Provides their analytical expertise to suggest and develop action plans
• Serves as the chief data interpreter and provides key guidance to the college on how to best utilize and leverage the data.
• Lead Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP) to ensure data integrity, and data decision support
• Develop or Maintain Institutional dashboard that can be used as tools for decision support. (Like Power BI).
• Provides technical expertise and consultation regarding college planning, research, analysis, grant development, and reporting.
• Prepare and present reports detailing institutional performance indicators for CCE and WSCUC including Annual Institutional Reviews.
• Oversee the management and collection of learner and faculty assessment data essential for academic planning, program assessment, and program improvement.
• Analyze and disseminate learner and faculty assessment data quarterly to key stakeholder groups, including educational and departmental leadership, faculty, and LCCW committees.
• Coordinate a regular schedule of data requests to support program review and continuous improvement.
• Review and improve upon currently employed formative and summative assessment methods and tools.
• Provide guidance and education to faculty regarding current best practices for learner assessment.
• Oversee the institutional research budget
• Provide training on how to use dashboards
  
  

Types Of Experience

Experience in working with Higher Education faculty, accreditation, and assessment; program planning, curriculum development, reporting, administration and supervision.

Required Qualifications

• Education, Training and/or Experience
• Master's Degree in relevant academic disciplines, higher education assessment, and database management.
• Minimum of five years of relevant experience focusing on higher education and accreditation.
• Extensive knowledge of creating, implementing and measuring student learning outcomes at the institutional, programmatic and course levels in higher education assessment.
• Extensive knowledge of adult learning theory, pedagogical approaches, assessment processes and project management.
• Understanding of higher education and regulatory issues.
• Knowledge of regional accrediting standards, especially as they apply to assessment and continuous improvement.
• Knowledgeable with computers, instructional technologies and database schemas, especially as relates to outcome and assessment hierarchies.
• Assessment data interpretation and improvement through benchmarking and learning outcomes alignment experience.
• Technology knowledge to include: SIS, LMS, and others related to learning.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities And Personal Characteristics

• Strong analytical and organizational skills
• Excellent in qualitative and quantitative data analysis, ability to identify gaps and draw conclusions from data.
• Strong creative skills
• Ability to manage and delegate multiple and varied tasks with frequent high levels of urgency or sensitivity
• Effective and strong skills in presentation & training delivery, leadership and interpersonal, and planning.
• Ability to work independently and autonomously, and as a team player
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
• Strong interpersonal skills, as well as a high level of sophistication in social and professional settings
• Several year of management experience directing a staff and/or project team
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate Preferred (PhD, EdD, DC)
• Experience with TaskStream
• WASC Assessment Leadership Academy
  
  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Nature of work requires an ability to operate standard business office equipment.
• Requires ability to communicate and exchange information, collect, compile and prepare work documents, set-up and maintain work files.
• Must be able to lift 25 lbs., retrieving and placing materials on high shelves and on floor-level shelves; standing, walking, carrying, grasping, hearing, seeing, sitting, kneeling, climbing, balancing, stooping, crouching, and reaching.
• Position requires some travel for participation in conferences, meetings, and training.
  
  

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Work performed in a general office environment
  
  

Life West is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the College's policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all persons, regardless of age, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, political affiliations, marital status, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, membership or non-membership in an employee organization or on the basis of personal favoritism or other non-merit factors except where otherwise provided by law.