Institutional Research & Assessment

Quincy College is Driven by Data

Overview

The Quincy College Office of Institutional Research and Assessment works across both campuses with students, faculty, and staff to compile, analyze, and submit reports based on student data. This data are used for a variety of purposes – to inform innovation, to understand our students, to support our staff and faculty professional development, and to consistently improve our resources and programming. Data collected and analyzed enables Quincy College to drive decision-making and resource allocation with data so we continue to move forward as an institution of higher education.

Each year, a variety of surveys offer opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to share feedback on their experiences at Quincy College. Some of these surveys include:

Annual Student Satisfaction Survey
Annual Graduate Follow-Up Survey
Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)
Survey on Sexual Assault in the QC Community
End of Semester Course Evaluations
Great Colleges Survey

In addition, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal data reporting, including Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

Please feel free to explore the types of data and reports that are available and contact us with any further questions.

QC at a Glance

The Quincy College Factbook provides a detailed overview of the last five years at the institution. This includes:

Educational Programs and Partnerships
Student Admissions
Student Enrollment and Demographic Information
Student Success and Achievement
Finance and Grants Overview

View the Factbook here.

The College Scorecard, created by US Department of Education, displays data in five areas: cost, graduation rate, employment rate, average amount borrowed, and loan default rate. This online tool enables to comparisons between institutions of higher education.
View Quincy College’s Scorecard here.

The College’s Strategic Plan includes six overarching goals as well as a number of strategies to support institutional and student success between FY 2022 and FY 2025:
View the Current Strategic Plan here.

View Previous Strategic Plan here.

View 2023 Strategic Plan Update here.

Surveys & Data

The Office of Institutional Research & Assessment regularly conducts independent surveys for internal planning and decision-making, as well as in conjunction with state, national, and other third-party organizations.

QC Data

Graduate Survey

Each year graduates are contacted via mail, email, and phone to evaluate their student experience at Quincy College and obtain their feedback. It is important to understand the impact Quincy College has on graduate education and career success. The Graduate Survey asks alumni various questions relating to their continued education, job prospects, academic experience (both general and program-specific), and are given the opportunity to provide any suggestions to improve the future of the College and programs.

Student Satisfaction

Each spring a random sample of all students are selected to share their Quincy College experience; the data collected is reported as the annual Student Satisfaction Survey. The Student Satisfaction Survey is used as a tool to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the student experience and guide strategic initiatives to create improved and innovative college resources. The majority of the survey results are used to assess how the college is performing in a variety of areas including student services, facility accommodations, and classroom experience. View our Driven by Data Videos on YouTube to see the actionable results of student feedback from the Student Satisfaction Surveys in years previous.

Departmental Surveys

Departmental surveys are conducted on an as-needed basis throughout the academic year. The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment collaborates with many offices including Financial Aid, Career Services, Advising, and others. Typically, these offices are interested in improving their services by asking students about satisfaction with departmental resources, interactions, and services.

Other departmental surveys focus on staff and faculty interactions and their understanding of the different office functions and resources available.

Course Evaluations

Course Evaluations ask students to rate their effort in the course, the content presented, the engagement of the instructor with students, and the overall quality of the course. Evaluations are conducted during the last few weeks of each course at Quincy College.

Learn more about course evaluations here>>

Campus Climate Survey

The Campus Climate Survey focuses on topics related to violence, sexual assault, and safety as it impacts the Quincy College community. Students are welcome to offer suggestions, identify any strengths or weaknesses at Quincy College, and share on-and-off campus experiences related to campus climate.

CCSSE

Quincy College participates in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) every two to four years. CCSSE provides information regarding effective educational practices in community colleges and helps benchmark Quincy College nationally in areas of active and collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenges, student-faculty interaction, and support for learners.

Great Colleges to Work for Survey

Quincy College participates every two years in the Great College to Work for Survey that is implemented by the Chronicle of Higher Education. This program surveys faculty and staff recognizing institutions of higher education that are great workplaces. Quincy College was recognized in 2016 as a Great College to Work For.

Program-Specific Data

Quincy College’s selective programs are required to collect and analyze student success and achievement data. Please find each of these data regarding these specific programs below:

Federal Data

Quincy College is required to report several forms of data and reports to Federal Agencies.

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a part of the Institute for Education Sciences within the United States Department of Education.

Data Request & Institutional Review Board

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) evaluates, advises, and approves all research involving human subjects. The IRB ensures that all research conducted on the Quincy College campus involving Quincy College students, faculty, or staff is in compliance with legal and ethical standards.

Please see the IRB Applications forms, consent forms, and protocols below:

For Institutional Research Data requests, please see the request form below:

IRA Data Request Form

Additional Links & Helpful Resources

PEER INSTITUTIONS

Select Massachusetts Community Colleges

Private 4-Year College

Curry College

Public 4-Year College

Course Evaluations

Student participation in the course evaluation process is extremely important. Faculty members use their evaluations each semester to assess their courses. Course evaluations ask students about their classroom experience, the effectiveness of their assignments, the accessibility of their instructor, and their effort and engagement during the class. Your feedback aids the College in improving the classroom experience.

The feedback we receive from course evaluations is used in many different ways:

By professors:

To improve their teaching
To change/improve their assignments
To ensure high academic standards

By deans:

To evaluate faculty members
To assess courses and how they fit into the curriculum

By senior administration and committees:

To evaluate candidates for hiring or promotion
To identify areas for faculty professional development or training
To understand student engagement in the classroom

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS

Students can access their course evaluations in three different ways:

Option 1:

Students will receive a personalized link to their specific course evaluations via their Quincy college email address. Students will receive these emails: 1) When course evaluations begin, and 2) At least once more during the evaluation period.

Option 2:

You can log onto your My QC Portal, and on your Student page, you will see the link to “Access Evaluations”. You will automatically be logged onto SmartEvals and you can complete any of your course evaluations that are open at that time.

Option 3:

Course Evaluations Option 3 Log on to Canvas and open up any of your active courses. On the menu on your right-hand side, you will see the “Course Evaluations” link that will log you into SmartEvals, where you can view and complete any course evaluations that are currently available.
Option 4:

Course Evaluation QR Code

Download any QR reader app from your app store on your tablet or smartphone. These apps are free! Open the app and scan the QR code. You will be brought directly to the SmartEvals login page where you only need to enter your Student ID number in the “Login ID” box.

All of your responses are confidential. Faculty members will not be able to see which students completed their course evaluations or who said what. Faculty members also will not have access to their evaluation report until after grades are posted.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FACULTY

Faculty members will be emailed prior to the start of any evaluation period in which their course(s) appear. This gives faculty members the opportunity to add questions specific to their course or their needs to each evaluation.

Faculty will be emailed a reminder and update on response rates about halfway through the course evaluation period. A report for each course will be emailed within 48 hours after the evaluation period closes. Each course’s report will be in PDF form and will contain instructor’s mean scores for each individual question, each cumulative section of the evaluation, and comments from students.

A step-by-step navigational guide for logging on, exploring results, and creating an action plan for improvement is included here .