Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness

The mission of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness (IR) is to support assessment, strategic planning, and institutional decision-making by collecting and providing timely and accurate data, as well as insightful analyses based on qualitative and quantitative research.

Key Functions

IR is a vital contributor to:

• the collection of SUNY Westchester Community College (SUNY WCC) census data in conjunction with the constituents of the College
• the submission of official external reporting to federal, regional, state, county, and other agencies
• research and analysis to aid decision making at all levels of the College
• survey administration and analysis
• data governance efforts across the institution
• deployment and development of interactive Tableau dashboards as well as other forms of data visualization

Data Governance

Policy on Data Integrity
In accordance with the charge of the Data Governance Committee, SUNY Westchester Community College is committed to:

• the high integrity of college data to ensure consistency and integration across college units
• ensuring processes regarding data collection and usage are transparent and consistent
• reviewing institutional data retrieval processes to ensure compliance to current rules and regulations for all reporting agencies
• documenting existing and new processes and decisions

Procedures on Data Integrity
The following procedures are required:

• Departments that oversee or enter student data in PeopleSoft must ensure that data are entered correctly and on time. Any changes must be communicated to the Data Quality Team (DQT) prior to implementation to ensure data integrity and accuracy in reporting.
• Errors detected in Weekly Data Audit Reports must be addressed and corrected in a timely manner.
• IR reviews the submitted data for accuracy and consistency.

External Agencies Reporting

The office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness collects and submits official census data to Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), New York State Education Department (NYSED), State University of New York (SUNY), and other external agencies for SUNY WCC.

Procedures on Reporting Data to External Agencies

• At the beginning of the academic year, IR shares the SUNY and IR calendar of mandated reports to all college constituents to which they must adhere.
• IR contacts departments whose assistance is required at least 3 weeks ahead of reporting deadlines. Departments responsible for completing the reports or sections of the reports must complete the requirements by the communicated deadline.
• In accordance with the IR calendar deadlines, data are frozen, cleaned, and submitted to SUNY for official SUNY WCC census reporting.
• The census data are used to report to external agencies.

Data Analysis Request

The office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness responds to various ad hoc requests for data and analysis.  These requests may be tied to internal queries, external queries, or grants.

Data Analysis Request Policy

College employees may request data directly from IR.  College students may request data from IR when sponsored by a college employee.  Depending on the nature of the inquiry, IR may redirect data requests to the College’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) for clearance.  In most instances, IR only shares aggregate data, not personally identifiable data.

Data Analysis Request Procedures

Data requests should be made using the Data Request Form.  IR will contact the requestor for clarification if necessary.

• IR requires at least 15 business days to complete a request.
• If the requested data are not immediately available, IR will inform the requestor in a timely manner.  The requestor may choose to wait, adjust the data request, or withdraw the data request. This includes instances when the request asks for non-census data that are not finalized.
• While working on the data request and after completion, the IR office may request a meeting to discuss clarifications or findings.

Survey Policies and Procedures

Survey Purpose

Surveys are used often at SUNY Westchester Community College to gather input from various stakeholder groups to assess and improve programs and services at the College.

Survey Policy

The College’s survey policy ensures:

• methodological accuracy in survey design, administration, analysis, and reporting
• adherence to high and consistent standards of quality for surveys conducted on behalf of the college, maintaining the integrity of the college’s reputation
• Minimization of duplicate data collection and survey fatigue by combining data collection needs whenever possible and appropriate, and managing the number and timing of multiple surveys to the same group of respondents
• appropriate distribution and utilization of survey results

Surveys conducted at SUNY Westchester Community College must undergo review and approval by the Assistant Dean of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness or designee before administration.  Exclusions may apply to feedback loops or evaluations.

Survey participation must be voluntary, and prospective respondents must be free to opt out of any survey without penalty.  Surveys must clearly communicate to respondents whether the survey responses are confidential and/or anonymous.  Unless the survey explicitly requests permission to share identifiable information, all survey data must be presented in an aggregate form.  While survey requestors may choose to offer incentives to respondents, IR is not responsible for the incentives but can facilitate this process.

All surveys must contribute to the benefit of the institution and its constituents and should not be intended for personal research.  Surveys of a personal nature should be redirected to the College’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).  The Assistant Dean of IR may accept, alter, or reject survey requests to align with this policy.

Survey Procedures

College constituents are required to complete a Survey Request Form available on the Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness website:

The office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness will:

• maintain an annual schedule of surveys shared with College constituents
• manage a survey archive
• review and approve survey requests
• prioritize and schedule surveys based on the needs of the College, ensuring timely data collection and minimizing survey fatigue and duplication of effort
• provide consultation on the implementation and administration of surveys, as well as analysis of results
• utilize the Qualtrics survey tool to design and administer surveys and generate reports