The College Research & Planning Office at Columbia College champions a culture of
inquiry and data-informed decision-making to support the college and its mission.
We are dedicated to providing faculty, staff, students, and the wider community with
the data, analysis, and insights needed to inform strategic planning that fosters
continuous improvement.
What We Do
- Institutional Planning and Effectiveness: We facilitate and support the college's planning processes, helping to align institutional
goals with data-driven strategies. Our work includes analyzing student outcomes, program
effectiveness, and institutional performance metrics.
- Data Analysis and Reporting: We collect, analyze, and disseminate comprehensive data on a wide range of topics,
including student demographics, enrollment trends, retention and completion rates,
and much more! This data is used to produce reports and dashboards that are accessible
to the campus community.
- Program Planning and Evaluation: We provide research support for the program review process, helping departments evaluate
their curriculum, services, and student learning outcomes to identify areas for improvement.
- Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Assessment: We provide data and analytical support for the college's SLO assessment processes.
This involves helping faculty and staff measure how well students are achieving the
specific knowledge, skills, and abilities defined in their course, program, and institutional
learning outcomes. The data we provide helps to inform improvements in curriculum,
instruction, and student support services.
- Grant Support: We collaborate with various departments to provide data and research support for
grant applications, helping to secure external funding for college initiatives.
- Actionable Reports: We generate actionable reports based on specific criteria to support campus initiatives.
Turning research into action is vital! These lists are used for targeted outreach,
intervention programs, and communication to help improve student success, retention,
and completion rates.
