Institution-wide Accreditation Activities
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness’s primary mission is to ensure that The University of Southern Mississippi is continually monitoring its compliance with the Principles of Accreditation of the Southern Association of Colleges and School’s Commission on Colleges.  By maintaining an updated inventory of documents and archives of information that support compliance, Institutional Effectiveness will be able to provide the evidence needed for the next SACS reaffirmation process.  We work with faculty, staff, and administrators across campus to record evidence of meeting the Principles.

Program and Unit Assessment Support
Institutional Effectiveness works with departments and units on an individual basis to define assessment activities.  We can help to define student learning outcomes and/or administrative objectives that are in line with the mission of the unit, and can assist in identifying appropriate measurements and targets for these.  Working with faculty and staff who contribute to the unit’s goals, IE can help develop academic and administrative assessment plans that reveal the accomplishments of your program.

Program Review Administration
Academic and Graduate Councils have established policies that every academic program must conduct a program review every seven years.  Institutional Effectiveness administers this process.  We orient the program faculty to the Southern Miss process, provide the required documents, help the departments to gather and analyze data if they request this help, and answer all questions about the process.  We will also help in any way needed during the evaluation by an external team of reviewers.  We then work with the Academic and Graduate Councils to execute the review of the program and provide feedback to the departments, and to record the outcomes for the Provost and the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning.  Finally, IE assists Academic and Graduate Councils to review periodically the program review process and make changes when necessary.

Program-Specific Accreditation Assistance
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness is available to assist academic departments and administrative units in external accreditation reviews.  Although we are not experts about every accrediting agency in the nation, we can work with program faculty to understand the accrediting agency standards, involve the right people, create a plan of action, review documents for accuracy and thoroughness, and participate in site visits.  And, because we are the repository for the institution’s accreditation responses, we can sometimes provide prepared responses about institution-wide topics like governance.

General Education Curriculum Support
Institutional Effectiveness provides direct technical and logistical support for the assessment of student learning in the General Education Curriculum (GEC).  IE houses GEC assessment plans and reports for the current academic year, and archives the reports from previous years.  We have also helped departments understand the GEC, identify appropriate points of assessment, and devise assessment plans for their programs.  The Assessment Coordinator assists the General Education Committee of Academic Council by researching, communicating, and providing analysis of GEC assessment activities.   

Institutional Improvement Projects
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness has unique exposure to many university documents and processes.  As a result, opportunities for institutional improvement can be identified.  The most current enhancement project is the Undergraduate Bulletin Revision, which involves standardized presentation of program plans and revision of text to ensure consistent and accurate information.  The intent of these projects is to improve facets of Southern Miss’s institutional effectiveness.

Strategic Planning Support
The University of Southern Mississippi engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that demonstrate that the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission.  Institutional Effectiveness has assisted the university in this process by recording strategic planning activities in a Strategic Plan Development document, compiling Strategic Plan Updates and Strategic Actions, and logging University Planning Committee actions.  The Coordinator of Assessment was the editor of the 2005-2008 University Strategic Plan and has continued to offer strategic planning services, such conducting environmental analysis and presenting data in text, table, and graph formats.

Designing Studies and Protocol
For departments that want to conduct a study about their program or operations, but are unsure of how to proceed and want help, IE can help design appropriate research methods that will answer your questions.  This applies to learning and administrative objectives.  Our Evaluation Specialist can also assist with designing the protocol of a study, advising on proper execution of all phases. 

Developing Surveys, Instruments, and Assessment Methods
If your department or organization surveys or wants to survey its students or customers, the Evaluation Specialist in Institutional Effectiveness can help revise or design a survey instrument.  We can also assist in creating other instruments that require assessing outcomes and satisfaction, and help determine when and how to administer an instrument.  We can help with any questions about assessment methodology and instrument design for units or organizations on campus.

Surveying Online
IE has licensed a full-service software tool that can host surveys online and track results.  Any department or organization that wants to conduct an online survey of their students, alumni, faculty, or customers is welcome to contact Institutional Effectiveness to discuss putting it online through WebSurveyor.

Data Analysis and Interpretation
For departments that have conducted research but have stopped short of analyzing the data, our Evaluation Specialist can analyze data and help to interpret the results, allowing your department to make informed decisions.