Institutional Research

Planning and Assessment/Institutional Research

The Assessment and Planning unit is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the college’s strategic initiatives and institutional research. Within the scope of this role are strategic planning initiatives, accreditation initiatives, planning and scheduling processes, and monitoring progress of strategic initiatives.

Institutional Research Activities
Institutional Research activities include surveying students, employers and others, data compilation and analysis, compiling statistics, reporting outcomes to internal and external stakeholders, advising constituents, and recommending courses of action.

The primary goals in supporting the mission

• Serving as the primary repository of institutional data.
• Publishing institutional information regarding enrollment, performance, and retention.
• Complying with state and federal reporting requirements. 
• Responding to external surveys and questionnaires.
• Supporting the institution’s accreditation initiatives with timely and accurate information.

Ethical considerations within Institutional Research

• Will not release individual student information.
• Will take all reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of data gathered from individuals, groups, offices, or agencies.
• Will apply all reasonable means to prevent the loss of data and documentation.
• Will make every effort to anticipate and prevent misunderstandings and the possible misuse of information.

Data & Statistics

• Historical Fall Data

Profile Facts

• Spring 2009
• Fall 2008
• Spring 2008
• Fall 2007
• Spring 2007
• Fall 2006
• Spring 2006
• Fall 2005
• Spring 2005
• Fall 2004
• Spring 2004
• Fall 2003
• Spring 2003
• Fall 2002  

Evaluations & Assessments

Alumni Survey

• 2005 Alumni Survey
• 2005 Alumni Survey- THEC Scoring Analysis

CCSSE

• 2006 Overview of National Results
• 2006 National Fast Facts
• 2006 National Benchmark Overview
• 2006 Nashville State Benchmarks
• 2006 Nashville State Student Report
• 2005 Overview of National Results
• 2005 National Fast Facts
• 2005 National Benchmark Overview
• 2005 Nashville State Benchmarks
• 2005 Nashville State Student Report

Employer Survey
Employer Survey [coming soon]

IDEA Assessment Information

IDEA Center
The IDEA Center is a not-for-profit organization that provides a wide range of innovative assessment products and services to institutions of higher education, enabling them to assess and improve teaching, learning, and administrator performance.

The IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction system assesses student learning in a way that is tailored to each instructor’s teaching objectives. Effectiveness is measured by progress students make on instructor-defined educational goals, as opposed to broad and often rigid or outdated standards.

Implementation Background
In 2005, a Nashville State Faculty Senate Committee took on the challenge of proposing an improved Faculty Evaluation process. Looking at a new instrument for student evaluation of instruction was one key part of this charge. The Committee voted to implement a student evaluation pilot in 2005 - 06, as summarized below.

Proposed Pilot
During Fall semester 2005, all full-time faculty were invited to use the IDEA survey, in lieu of the NSCC survey, in one or more of their courses. Deans selected some adjunct faculty members to pilot the IDEA survey. In fall 2005, NSCC piloted a small number of classes.

Faculty volunteers chose whether or not to include these pilot surveys in their performance evaluations and tenure/promotion applications. Non-tenured faculty did not use IDEA for all classes, but selected 1-2 classes.

Training about IDEA was provided during the fall semester of 2005. A consultant from IDEA came to campus early in 2006 to assist faculty volunteers to understand and use the diagnostics they received, and to provide additional training and information about the campus-wide adoption of IDEA effective fall 2006.

Advantages of IDEA

• IDEA is useful both for improving teaching effectiveness and for annual evaluations of faculty.
• Faculty select 3-5 key student outcome objectives for each course, which can be matched with outcomes on the course syllabus. The diagnostics focus on student ratings on these key outcomes.
• Faculty receive extensive diagnostic feedback for each course.
• Rating scores are adjusted for key variables that, based on research, influence student ratings and are beyond the control of the faculty member.
• Faculty can add additional questions to the survey and there is a space for student comments.
• IDEA provides comparisons of NSCC performance compared to a national sample of community colleges by discipline area.
• IDEA reports can be generated by program area that will be very useful for Academic Audits, Program Reviews, and all accreditation reports.

Additional Information
Faculty are encouraged to visit the IDEA website at www.idea.ksu.edu . The site provides extensive information about the survey instruments and reports, as well as information written for faculty to help them improve their teaching effectiveness.
For further questions on IDEA, please contact Dr. Ellen Weed, VP Academic Affairs, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or 615-353-3326.

Copyright Information
All instruments provided by the IDEA Center are copyrighted. No part of the instruments may be used without the prior written consent from the Center. Any other use will be viewed as copyright infringement and a violation of academic integrity.

IR Links
AIR Association for Institutional Research
CCSSE Community College Survey of Student Engagement
CDS Common Data Set Initiative 
IDEA The Idea Center
NCES National Center for Education Statistics
SACCR Southeastern Association of Community College Research
SAIR Southern Association for Institutional Research  
TENNAIR Tennessee Association for Institutional Research  
THEC Tennessee Higher Education Commission  
TBR Tennessee Board of Regents