The Office of Institutional Research collects and analyzes data and disseminates information designed to assist the TJC community in making informed decisions and facilitate improved institutional performance and accountability.
Goals: The Office of Institutional Research
- gathers, synthesizes, summarizes and disseminates College data to meet internal and external information needs.
- conducts research to address management questions and support assessment efforts at the institutional and (in some cases) departmental levels.
- proactively conducts specialized research that may inform policy discussions.
- provides service, professional expertise, and consultation to College and external colleagues.
- collects and prepares peer data for benchmarking and comparative studies.
- gather, troubleshoot, organize, document and maintain a robust data infrastructure to support the designing of queries and Institutional Research work.
- facilitates skill development for the College community in use of data tools, programming, statistics, communication, data interpretation, and best business practices in the fields of Institutional Research and Higher Education.
Statement of Ethics
In accordance with the ethical practice of institutional research, office staff members agree to:
- operate with integrity by conducting research that is objective and uses accepted technical standards.
- employ secure data collection and storage practices that ensure confidentiality and protects the privacy of research subjects.
- disseminate accurate information in a responsible manner.
The Reporting Role
This document attempts to outline the areas and extent of the Research and Reporting Office’s involvement in responding to internal and external requests for information about TJC. The "General Principles" presented here are followed by very important "Exceptions," and examples are provided to help clarify. It is our hope that these guidelines will be a starting point for discussions about the best way of accomplishing the goal of providing appropriate and meaningful information that is accurate to those who need it.
While reporting is often done through the Institutional Research Office, it should be remembered that this office is first and foremost a research office. The office seldom "owns" the data that it uses. While all data on campus is theoretically open to this office, the Institutional Research staff must take special care to use it correctly and wisely. There will necessarily be frequent consultations with the data owners. Therefore, the Institutional Research staff must depend on the expertise, guidance, cooperation, and good will of the owners of the data in each area.
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Handling Data Requests
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External Requests
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Non-Routine External Requests for Study Participation
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Internal Requests
Conclusions
These guidelines are meant to clarify the role of the Research and Reporting office in reporting College information. These guidelines may continue to evolve over time. However, they should serve as a good starting point. We are fortunate to work in an institution that highly values collegiality. Guidelines such as this are not meant to replace or even reduce the valuable discussion that takes place here, but to help us all to make sure that we are handling requests for information as effectively as possible.
Internal Requests
The Department of Institutional Research provides data in various formats for requestors and can provides summaries for research questions or reports. The IR department also conducts institutional data research and analysis in support of planning and decision-making in support of the mission and vision of Tyler Junior College. Requests for data about individuals should go to the responsible office that manages or maintains that aspect of data within the system of record. The IR office does not have the authority to release non-directory data on individuals (students, faculty, staff, etc.) to anyone.
