Academic Affairs Office

Planning and Institutional Effectiveness

The mission of the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (OPIE) is to provide leadership and support for institution-wide planning, assessment, evaluation, reporting, and research compliance activities in support of the University's mission. The Office's efforts are directed toward identifying, analyzing, and monitoring internal and external trends and developments that influence the University's mission and strategic vision. We work collaboratively with University constituents to ensure that the data and analyses provided meets their needs for planning and assessing institutional effectiveness.

  • Respond to internal and external requests for information about the institutional characteristics of Marywood University
  • Provide accurate and timely information and analyses concerning Marywood University's student body, programs, faculty and staff, finances and other areas of interest and importance
  • Analyze and interpret information regarding the characteristics, activities, operations, and policies of Marywood University
  • Collect and warehouse longitudinal student, faculty/staff, and institutional data
  • Compile and publish yearly fact book and detailed data book
  • Provide data to facilitate the departmental self-study process
  • Maintain an electronic executive information system and provide timely information updates
  • Initiate and perform research relevant to anticipated institutional policy and decision-making needs
  • Provide leadership and support for the strategic planning process
  • Monitor the strategic planning process and implementation of goals
  • Assist with the integration of planning and institutional research in support of institutional decision-making and policy development
  • Facilitate the development of an awareness of outcomes assessment in the institutional community
  • Initiate student evaluations of instruction process and report to academic leadership
    • Collect and process data from student evaluations of instruction surveys
  • Conduct surveys that evaluate:
    • the impact of the Marywood experience on graduating students
    • current student satisfaction
    • the value of a Marywood education to alumni
  • Integrate outcomes assessment into planning and program review activities
  • Provide resource support for unit activities related to outcomes assessment

The Core Curriculum addresses 12 distinct learning outcomes that develop competencies in essential and widely-applicable skills grounded in Marywood’s Mission and Core Values.

Core Outcomes were developed from the nationally recognized LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes, The Middle States Commission on Higher Education's general education standards, and the credit requirements of the PA Department of Education and are regularly assessed.

  • Written Communication: the ability to develop and express one's ideas in writing for a variety of purposes, audiences, and across a multitude of genres, styles, and modalities.
  • Oral Communication: the ability to deliver prepared, purposeful speech that increases knowledge, fosters understanding, or promotes change in listeners’ attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
  • Intercultural & Global Competency: skills that support effective engagement, interaction, and exchange of ideas across cultural and social contexts beyond one’s own.
  • Interfaith Literacy: the ability to identify, examine, and articulate one’s own values and beliefs, as well as to engage in respectful cooperation and dialogue with others.
  • Ethical Reasoning: the ability to recognize, understand, and describe ethical problems and arguments in order to formulate one’s own perspectives about right and wrong human conduct and apply ethical decision-making skills to real-world dilemmas.
  • Scientific Reasoning: The ability to apply scientific methods to understand the natural world, to identify scientific aspects of daily life, and to evaluate the quality of scientific information on the basis of its source and the methods used for its generation.
  • Quantitative Reasoning: the ability to reason and solve quantitative problems in authentic contexts and everyday life situations, support arguments using quantitative evidence, and communicate data using appropriate visual formats (tables, graphs, etc.).
  • Aesthetic Appreciation & Expression: an understanding of the theories, values, concepts, and terms used to interpret and evaluate works of art, and the ability to apply them to one’s own work or others’.
  • Critical Reading: using processes to understand and construct meaning from historical, primary, written, and other texts, such as interpretation, decoding, rhetorical analysis, etc.
  • Inquiry & Analysis: the ability to systematically explore an issue, object, or work through a disciplinary lens, break down complex topics, and use available evidence to draw conclusions or judgements.
  • Information Literacy: the ability to identify an information need, and to effectively locate, evaluate, and ethically use and share information.
  • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: the ability to recognize and critically reflect on historical and continuing processes of oppression.

Institutional Data

Each year, the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness publishes a Fact Book to present concise tabular trend information on Marywood's students, personnel, finances, and facilities.

The Fact Book is a source of information on important institutional measures, in a format that is easily accessible to all members of the Marywood community.

The Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness collects, analyzes, and interprets data about Marywood.

These data are then used to guide University planning and decision-making. 

Data on graduation rates are consistent with changes in Student Right to Know regulations.

Marywood Factbooks

The Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness has created several interactive custom reports to help make it easier for faculty, staff, and administrators to visualize institutional data in a user-friendly platform. The visualizations are based on our IPEDS data and include information on undergraduate and graduate enrollment by gender, race, and program.

DASHBOARDS »

The Common Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News and World Report.  The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers.

The CDS is a set of standards and definitions of data items rather than a survey instrument or set of data represented in a database. Each of the higher education surveys conducted by the participating publishers incorporates items from the CDS as well as unique items proprietary to each publisher. Consequently, the publishers’ surveys differ in that they utilize varying numbers of items from CDS.

Those who report data for their colleges are urged to abide by the definitions and the cohorts specified when answering CDS items. They are also urged to use the answers to CDS items to respond to the numerous survey requests and to publish the CDS on their websites.

The goals of the Common Data Set Initiative are:

Development of clear, standard data items and definitions in order to determine a specific cohort relevant to each item.

Data items and definitions used by the U.S. Department of Education in its higher education surveys often serve as a guide in the continued development of the CDS.

Common Data Set items undergo broad review by the CDS Advisory Board as well as by data providers representing secondary schools and two- and four-year colleges. Feedback from those who utilize the CDS also is considered throughout the annual review process.

Common Data Set »

The Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness gathers information about student experiences while they are attending Marywood University and beyond. The University participates in large-scale nationally benchmarked and community based surveys. Results are used to improve the quality of programs, services, and campus climate. 

Survey Results

The Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness provides completion/graduation dates and transfer out data as required by the US Department of Education.

Reports:

Assessment Information and Policies

The systematic and recurring review of academic and professional departments at Marywood University is an essential element of their ongoing efforts to improve the student experience. Marywood accomplishes this objective through critical reflection, self-assessment, and strategic planning consistent with their Mission Statement and Core Values.  This review can be met through discipline specific accreditation or this review process.

The review process engages input from various constituencies on campus to obtain a fair and balanced appraisal of a department’s strengths and areas for improvement. Information gathered as part of this review process will help to enhance Marywood’s understanding of the needs of a department, ensure a quality educational experience for students, and allow for the use of evidence-based guidance for administrative decision-making.

In addition, this review process is used to help Marywood University meet the standards of accreditation set forth by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

Self Study Template

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The systematic tracking and recurring evaluation of assessment data and changes made within departments to meet strategic objectives and learning outcomes is essential to the functioning of academic departments and academic support areas. The process of tracking and evaluation can be completed through reports made to accrediting bodies and through this assessment reporting process.

Ongoing reporting is integral to moving Marywood University forward in the following ways:

  1. Centralized data collection ensures continuous and consistent records of assessment and improvement through leadership changes within departments.
  2. Allows departments to use data specific to their areas to make data-informed decisions.
  3. Allows departments to own their assessment process, ensuring that assessment is relevant and meaningful for their area.
  4. Satisfies assessment requirements articulated by the Middle States Council on Higher Education (MSCHE).

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        ANNUAL ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE AND EXAMPLES

        Data Request

        Procedure for a data request 

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        Research Policy

        Covers requests for

        • Institutional Data
        • Student Survey Results

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        Meet the Institutional Research Staff

        Falcone, Frank T

        Bio
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