Institutional Effectiveness
Hours
Mon–Fri, 8:30 am–4:30 pm
Contact
20 Washington Place
Fourth floor
Providence, RI 02903
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) uses best practices in evaluation and data governance to support continuous improvement and meaning-making across RISD. We utilize systematic and data-informed research and analysis to support RISD’s mission and goals, ensure continued compliance with accreditation and external reporting requirements, and contribute to efforts to increase social equity and inclusion within the institution, with the ultimate goal of enhancing learning and the overall student experience.
We support RISD in optimizing the use of analytics to make data-informed decisions and utilize actionable, meaningful information to support students as leaders in art and design, including progress tracking on key performance indicators and initiatives. In our work, we prioritize access to information, accuracy, communication, ethics and service.
Within OIE, Institutional Research provides data to and conducts analysis for members of the RISD community, as well as to external sources including the federal government, publications and various other organizations.
OIE adheres to Association of Institutional Research (AIR) Statement of Ethical Principles to inform its work.
Accessing data
OIE provides multiple avenues to access data to support data-informed decision-making.
Online fact book
OIE utilizes Tableau to provide an online fact book for the RISD community. The dashboards at this page encompass many data sets, including data regarding admissions, enrollment, retention and graduation rates, diversity, and finances. An archive of older fact books is available at RISD’s Digital Commons site.
Data requests
Specific data requests for data not available in the online fact book should be submitted via our data request form. Please contact data@risd.edu for any other inquiries.
OIE essential functions
Strategic planning and evaluation
- Leads the institution’s efforts to collect, analyze and report accurate and reliable information about the institution to facilitate data-informed decision-making and strategic planning at multiple levels of leadership and management.
- Develops, manages and strategizes about research, data and analysis needed to support RISD’s mission and goals based on input and information from senior leadership.
- Produces regular reports for the college and is available to provide customized support and evaluation for college offices.
Institutional research
- Develops and sustains guiding strategies for institutional research and its uses on campus.
- Prioritizes requests for data and reporting to meet needs of institutional planning and major initiatives.
- Coordinates implementations of various surveys and provides expertise to departments across the college conducting internal surveys.
- Oversees processes of surveying and data collection and fulfillment of RISD’s federal/state and accreditation requirements, including major reports, periodic reports and completion of institutional self-studies.
- Provides data visualizations that are available to the RISD community and external parties.
Accreditation management
- Oversees the college’s efforts pertaining to institutional accreditation by the New England Commision of Higher Education (NECHE). Establishes timetables and leads staff and faculty in developing institutional self-studies. Reviews, edits and approves materials/reports as appropriate.
- Supports program reaccreditation (NAAB, LAAB, RIDE) and museum reaccreditation.
- Responds to external information requests and shares, internally, key revisions to accreditation standards and policies.
- Supports the college on institutional initiatives that pertain to accreditation with an understanding of best practices.
Data governance
- Collaborates with other units across the college to support the integrity of data sourcing, collection, synchronization and dissemination, across the institution, for both internal and external reporting.
- Works with other units to develop appropriate policies and procedures to ensure consistent data stewardship.
Educational research/assessment
- Provides qualitative and quantitative data to ensure that academic planning and review self-studies are developed using strong evidence as the basis for conclusions.