Institutional Research and Assessment

The Objectives of the Office of IR&A

Institutional Research and Assessment is to "discover and disseminate" valid information about the institutional in general, and student learning in particular, "to strengthen education, and externally... communicate with policy makers, families, and other stakeholders," (NILOA). We are guided by the philosophy that asking the right questions is equally important to having the right answers.

To do this work we: (AIR)

  • Identify information needs
  • Collect, analyze, interpret, and report data and information
  • Plan and evaluate
  • Serve as stewards of data and information
  • Educate information producers, uses, and consumers

In its search to make high-quality, evidence-based decisions, the College relies on this office to produce accurate and reliable institutional level reports and analyses. Our office also responds to external requests for information about Champlain College and its students and provides data that students (and others) use to make important decisions about their higher education future.

We continually ask ourselves questions about how well the College is meeting its mission, how effectively we are deploying our resources, and how well our students are succeeding. It is our objective to measure, assess, and report on students' persistence to graduation, engagement with the College's learning environments, achievement of learning outcomes, and satisfaction with their Champlain experience.

Institutional research and assessment helps the entire community determine what we should celebrate and where we need more attention.

Our primary activities include:

  • Institutional-level reporting: internal, marketing, compliance, and planning
  • Student learning outcomes assessment
  • Accreditation support
  • Program assessment and planning
  • Curricular review and feedback on teaching
  • Data governance and data integrity
  • Student equity analyses
  • Production of the College Fact Book
  • Institutional data analysis and modeling
  • Survey oversight