Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (IE) supports the mission of Southeastern University (SEU) through assessment, planning, research, accreditation support, and the integration of technologies to promote a culture of data-informed decision-making, accountability, and quality enhancement.

IE provides key assessment and strategic planning services to the broader SEU community, including coordination of annual academic and administrative assessment reporting, survey design and administration, analysis of assessment results, course evaluation management, and academic program review. 

Assessment & Planning

With our university partners, we implement a comprehensive program of goal creation, evaluation of assessments, and the use of results for quality enhancement by:

  • Assisting faculty, staff, and leadership in articulating learning and/or programmatic goals and identifying appropriate assessments and/or action plans.
  • Working directly with all departments to ensure timely and appropriate data collection, analysis, and reporting, as well as the integration of university planning and budgeting procedures.
  • Analyzing and disseminating data via reports and dashboards.
  • Collecting and housing results and plans for improvement for all departments, disciplines, and general education on an annual basis.
  • Maintaining and enforcing reporting deadlines.
  • Leading the University Assessment Committee, which meets periodically to review and heighten the awareness of assessment procedures.
  • Building capacities for campus assessment leaders through periodic training and professional development.

Assessment Design & Administration

We assist faculty, staff, and leadership with the creation and administration of in-house and published instruments for the measurement of attitudes, skills, knowledge, abilities, or trends. These include:

  • Managing surveys, including the Student Satisfaction Inventory, Priorities Survey for Online Learners, National Survey of Student Engagement, Graduating Student Survey, Alumni Survey, and others.
  • Preparing and administering course evaluations each semester and coordinating the distribution of faculty and administrator reports.
  • Conducting focus groups and other qualitative measures with various constituents.
  • Analyzing, interpreting, and reporting on surveys, course evaluations, and qualitative data through both static and dynamic business intelligence reporting tools.
  • Creating action plans based on collected data.

* Access to these reports is restricted to those university stakeholders with relevant permission and requires adherence to FERPA regulations.

Academic Program Review

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness leads the Academic Program Review (APR) initiative, which is a self-reflective process. Academic units investigate a number of key performance indicators, including learning objectives, curriculum, teaching and learning methods, student success, and administrative processes and procedures.

Academic Program Review Handbook

If your department is preparing to begin the APR process, or if you are just interested in how SEU reviews our academic programs for quality education and outcomes, open this document and read through the handbook. 

Strategic Planning

Institutional Effectiveness cannot be achieved without actionable, mission-aligned planning. We collect, analyze, and summarize disaggregated institutional data to identify trends and thereby inform the strategic planning process. This is achieved through the following processes:

  • Collecting action plans and assessment data to ensure alignment with departmental assessment/planning processes.
  • Consulting with all departments on developing Master Plans of Advance in support of the University Strategic Plan.
  • Integrating various planning, budgeting, and performance management processes (e.g. 360 Evaluations).
  • Preparing the annual Strategic Plan Update.

Accreditation Support

The maintenance of our regional accreditation is of paramount importance to the viability of our institution and the degrees we award. To secure this ongoing certification, we engage in the following activities:

  • Producing narrative and documentation in compliance with SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) guidelines.
  • Assisting with all accreditation activities, including extension site reviews, new program notifications, prospectus submissions, substantive change applications, quality enhancement processes, and reaffirmation of accreditation proceedings.
  • SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation — View the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Principles of Accreditation, which stipulate standards and core requirements for any institution accredited by the commission. 
  • POA Resource Manual — A helpful resource if you are involved in an accreditation project at SEU, or are just interested in learning more about how institutions like ours maintain compliance with SACSCOC’s Principles of Accreditation. 

Technology

We are committed to innovating and integrating the use of technology for accreditation support, assessment/planning, and research/reporting processes. This is expressed most visibly in two primary ways.

  • Implementing the Institutional Analytics dashboarding system for the purposes of systematic and on-demand analysis and reporting.
  • Maintaining the Weave system for assessment, accreditation, and planning purposes, including the Accreditation, Projects, and Report features.
  • Maintaining academic performance business intelligence solutions that keep student success and academic stakeholders apprised of opportunities for timely intervention with learners who may be at risk of negative educational outcomes.
  • Assessment dashboard—This dashboard comprises multiple business intelligence reports on data coming from key institution-wide assessments. Use this resource to stay informed about the student voice, academic performance, and other critical measures.
  • Grade and At-Risk Students report—this business intelligence report contains information about students’ current grades in the MyFIRE LMS and their associated risk status. 

Access to the above resources is restricted to those university stakeholders with relevant permission and requires adherence to FERPA regulations. 

Department Contacts

Justin Rose, MTS
Associate Vice President
Information Management & Digital Learning
jerose@seu.edu

Kristen Hodges, PhD
Director, Institutional Effectiveness
klhodges@seu.edu

For general requests regarding Institutional Effectiveness, send an email to ie@seu.edu.