Primary Objectives and Values
Institutional Research
The goal of the HCC OIE is to collect, analyze, and disseminate pertinent information about the college and the community it serves.
Objectives include:
- create linkages between strategic planning, college goals, and institutional data
- provide data to support the HCC Strategic Plan
- provide data to help departments reach their goals
- provide data to government agencies as required
- provide data for public dissemination
- facilitate and participate in discussions of the college's purpose and performance
- serve as a resource to college departments for research design and methodology related to individual research projects approved by the Institutional Research Board.
Steps to be taken to reach the objectives include:
- working with IR and IT staff within HCC and the ConnSCU system to develop and maintain accurate, comprehensive databases of institutional information
- gathering data through the design and/or administration of surveys and other tools
- supporting matriculation and graduation goals by researching student retention, persistence, attrition, and success
- exploring new opportunities for research to contribute to institutional evaluation and improvement
- assisting in the generation of data needed for grant applications
- educating the campus community on the value and uses of research.
Our VALUES
When collecting, analyzing and presenting data, the staff of the Housatonic Community College Office of Institutional Effectiveness strives to:
- apply statistical principles appropriately
- present data in clear, easily understandable formats
- provide context, to foster complete understanding
- avoid oversimplification of complex issues.
In all of our activities, we strive to be:
- responsive to the needs of HCC students, staff and faculty
- ethical in our use of data
- collegial in our relationships
- efficient in our operations
- respectful of student, staff and faculty privacy.