Institutional Research, Assessment & Planning

Mission

The mission of Institutional Research, Assessment & Planning is to increase understanding of Occidental College's primary functions and attributes in order to support its institutional goals and priorities.

IRAP supports planning, evaluation, decision making, and policy development for units across campus by collecting, analyzing, and reporting information about the institution, and by facilitating access to available peer data.

Guiding Principles

Toward the achievement of its mission, IRAP is steered by the following guiding principles:

Quality Reporting
IRAP develops clear, concise, and relevant reports that simplify complex data and present only essential information for easy review. All reports are to be accurate and complete, based on clearly articulated suitable methodologies, delivered in a timely manner, objectively analyzed, and specify any limitations to the analyses or other anomalies in order to help the reviewer better understand the report.

Collaborative Processes
IRAP research, assessment, and planning processes are open, consultative and flexible in order to accurately reflect the complexity of the institution. Processes and deliverables are customized to fit the purpose and scope of each activity. Communications are directed to all stakeholders, and IRAP encourages feedback in order to improve its efficiency and effectiveness.

Meaningful Assessment
IRAP assessment activities are based on institutional values to produce relevant data for improving student learning, and methodologies take into account the different backgrounds and learning styles of the student population, the multitude of learning opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, and consider student values as well as knowledge and skill.

Best Practices
IRAP stays current with developing theories, methodologies, techniques, tools, and technology related to assessment and institutional research. IRAP staff conduct research and contribute to professional discussions, attend workshops and conferences, and participate in regional, national, and international societies.

Ethical Standards
IRAP upholds the highest level of ethical standards with respect to confidentiality and data security. Individuals are appraised of their rights to privacy and non-participation in data collection activities, and personal information is never released when confidentiality has been guaranteed. Data collected is organized and archived in a manner that prevents loss and unauthorized access, and is deleted according to confidentiality agreements or institutional data storage and maintenance policies as appropriate.