Institutional Research, Assessment, & Planning

overview

Institutional Research, Assessment, & Planning (IRAP) leads the university’s institutional effectiveness process and is responsible for ensuring the university’s ongoing commitment to evidence-informed curriculum design and strategic planning. This includes monitoring both direct and indirect measures of achievement, academically and administratively.  

IRAP provides support for the following types of requests/activities: 

• Survey creation, administration, and analysis 

• Focus group design, administration, and analysis 

• Assessment design, administration, and analysis 

• MCU assessment management platform—Salesforce implementation 

• Institutional effectiveness and program evaluation 

• Strategic planning support 

• MCU Factbook Publication 

• Fleet Feedback Program Administration

• Institutional Review Board support 

The philosophy and functions of Institutional Research at MCU are presented in the Institutional Effectiveness Policy which is updated to reflect the current status of Institutional Research at MCU.

IE Policy

Mission

Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning serves as a resource to MCU engaging in the ongoing collection of information supporting systematic assessment and evaluation of both resident and nonresident programs. Included in this mission is the provision of research services which promote the use of relevant, timely and accessible data from which leaders can gain a deeper understanding of issues and conclusions that support decision-making, resource allocation and institutional effectiveness.

Resources

• Assessment Support

  • IRAP provides guidance on a wide range of approaches to the assessment of both academic and administrative direct measures. Information on developing appropriate outcomes and choosing the right measures is available as well as guidance on the selection of tools (rubrics, scales, etc.) to assist in measuring outcomes. MCU's Annual Assessment Report is coordinated and archived by IRAP.

Academic Year 2024 Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Report (IEAR)

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• Survey Creation and Data Analysis

  • The creation of surveys for indirect measures of student, faculty and staff responses is available as well as compilation of survey data to support decision-making.

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• PPC and Strategic Planning Support

  • IRAP supports the coordination of the President's Planning Council (PPC) meetings as well as the development of Strategic Planning initiatives and publications.

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• MCU Publications

  • Factbook

    • The MCU Factbook is an annual publication with compiles critical data representing the University such as student enrollment, budget, programs and affiliate organizations.

    • Factbook

  • Strategic Plan

    • The MCU Strategic Plan is a published document presenting the University's five-year model for achieving strategic goals and objectives.

    • The Strategic Plan is currently under review.

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• IRB Oversight and Guidance

  • As an active source of research initiatives, MCU fosters the ethical and responsible conduct of research by providing oversight to ensure that the safeguards and protections associated with human subject research are observed. The topics addressed include: 

    • Human Subjects Research,
    • Human Research Protection Program (HRPP),
    • Institutional Review Board (IRB),
    • and the Survey Program.
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  • Questions on the following topics should be directed to the Office of the Provost: 

• Data Sharing Requirements and Restrictions,
• Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Requirements,
• Pre-publication Review,
• Research Misconduct,
• Research Policies,
• Responsible Conduct of Research (ROR),
• Qualitative Data Repository (QDR),
• and Sponsored Projects Policies and Procedures.

• USMC HRPP site