Overview
The mission of the Office of Institutional Research is to provide data to members of the campus community to help with data-informed decisions to support planning, improve student learning outcomes and promote institutional effectiveness.
What We Do
Office of Institutional Research supports the college in many areas, including:
- Program review data
- Program evaluation and grant data support
- Survey and focus group support, design, administration, and analysis
- Data dashboard design, development & maintenance
- College-wide institutional planning and evaluation
- Development of institutional key performance indicators, tracking & analysis
- Mandated reporting, including IPEDS, accreditation & state-mandated reporting
- Workshops and training on various topics related to research, student equity & institutional effectiveness and planning
Institutional Research FAQ
The Office of Institutional Research provide a wide-array of data already (please check West Valley Data Dashboard and Report Warehouse). If these data do not meet your needs, please assemble the following and submit a Research Request:
- Research question/problem statement
- Project context/background
- Specific information/data you need
- How you intend to use the information/data
- Approval of your Dean or supervisor (required prior to request submission)
You will be asked for the above information in the request ticket. You can always reach out to us for an initial consultation.
We are managing several projects at the same time and prioritize projects using the following criteria:
- Is the project for accreditation, accountability, and compliance reporting?
- Does the project inform the college’s mission and its strategic goals, initiatives, and priorities?
- Deadlines
- Intended use of results and impact on students
Basic statics about our students are available on our Fast Facts page. A more detailed information can be found from the West Valley Data Dashboard page
Data may come from many sources. The most typical data our office uses comes from West Valley-Mission CCD’s Data Warehouse, a repository of curated and structured data, which is ultimately sourced from Banner, the West Valley-Mission CCD’s student information system. This includes information on student demographics, enrollment, outcomes, and courses. Transfer data may come from UC and CSU’s publicly available data sources and National Student Clearinghouse. Sometimes, we also use data from publicly available dashboards and special dataset provided by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO). Other data may come from surveys that have been conducted. We determine that best source or combination of sources depending on the project’s purpose.