Body of the review

Academic units looking to strengthen their assessment practices will have an additional resource starting November 1 as the Office of Academic Assessment expands its services as the Office of Academic Insight.

The title change comes as the university’s Central Assessment Unit adds to its framework of academic assessment and data collection services by introducing a new Insight Lab. Designed to facilitate research studies of student outcomes and support data-driven programming, the Insight Lab will also house the university’s Quality Improvement Plan, or QEP, a critical part of accreditation of ‘Auburn by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC. . Guided by an advisory committee, QEP will present a five-year plan to improve student career outcomes as part of Auburn’s next reaffirmation process, slated for early 2023.

“I am delighted to continue to expand the work of the office and bring Insight Lab to life,” said Katie Boyd, director of the Office of Academic Insight. “In the past, our main goal was to guide faculty in developing mature assessment practices, and we focused on continuous improvement. The office will now be able to support the institution by providing actionable insights towards meaningful use of the data.

As members of the Insight Lab, qualified analysts and graduate research assistants work with faculty and units interested in facilitating educational research studies to improve student outcomes. Additionally, the lab will collaborate with campus partners to plan and design evidence-based interventions and share programmatic successes that promote best practice.

The Office of Academic Insight will continue to help programs conduct evaluations of educational programs designed to improve improvement in learning, in addition to reporting college-level metrics, such as graduation rates and information on the first destination. In addition to the Academic Program Review and General Education Assessment, the unit will also coordinate the Assessment of Basic Results and Student Preparation, or SCORE, each semester. An essential part of Auburn’s academic assessment goals, SCORE collects and reports on student learning related to the core curriculum.

“We are excited about the evolution of the office, in particular the creation of the Insight Lab,” said Norman Godwin, vice-president, Academic Effectiveness. “We hope that the lab will become a valuable resource and partner for our academic units as they prepare their students for careers and graduate or professional programs.”

Additionally, the office will continue to facilitate cohort studies, including Connecting the Creed, a course designed to gather information among incoming students, and Creed to Succeed, a course designed to gather feedback from senior graduates on their engagement on the campus and their future career plans.

Located at 313 Mary Martin Hall, faculty and units can contact the Office of Academic Insight at (334) 844-6844 and [email protected]