Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE)

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) at Sacred Heart University supports the university’s mission of academic excellence and continuous improvement.

As a collaborative partner, the OIE provides services and resources to faculty, staff, and leadership to enhance high-quality academic programs, streamline academic operations to support student success and retention, promote data-informed planning, decision-making and assessment, and ensure academic regulatory and accreditation compliance, all while fostering a culture of growth and innovation.

The OIE comprises five integral areas:

Academic Programs

Our academic programs area is committed to supporting the quality and efficacy of our educational offerings. We collaborate with faculty and academic leaders to support program design, assessment and improvement to meet our students’ evolving educational needs and post-graduation aspirations, as well as ensure that our programs meet the highest standards of quality and relevance. This area plays a pivotal role in supporting innovative and engaging academic programs. We provide guidance and support for regular academic program reviews and for student learning outcomes assessment. We work with faculty, academic leaders and Student Advising & Success to develop and refine academic policies to ensure equitable and effective policies and procedures as well as accreditation and regulatory compliance. We collaborate with Strategic Enrollment Management, Marketing & Communications and the Business Office to support communication between these areas and Academic Affairs and to support efforts in these areas to ensure successful academic programs.

Strategic Planning

OIE collaborates with areas across the University to support development of the University's long-term vision and strategies. Under the direction of the provost, OIE leads the periodic strategic planning process and monitors implementation and assessment of strategic initiatives, with regular reporting on progress of the university’s strategic plan. We foster a culture of strategic thinking and continuous improvement, so that the university remains responsive to changing needs and is poised for future success.

Institutional Research, Accreditation & Decision Support

Institutional Research, Accreditation & Decision Support (IRADS) champions the University’s data-informed decision-making processes. We provide data and analyses that guide strategic planning, policy development and operations. In collaboration with SHU colleges and OIE’s academic programs area, the IRADS team supports accreditation efforts, which ensures compliance with regulatory standards, and fosters a culture of data-informed decision making across the University. Finally, IRADS prepares and submits regulatory and marketing surveys for areas across the University.

Academic Operations

The academic operations area focuses on the smooth and efficient functioning of the University's academic enterprise. Through the cross-divisional Academic Operations Continuous Improvement Committee, we seek to identify, assess and improve administrative processes that impact the student, staff and faculty experience. We administer course evaluations and oversee the creation of annual academic catalogs. We aim to ensure smooth implementation of academic policies, new programs and program changes, including accurate registration of academic programs with the Connecticut Office of Higher Education. Our goal is to create a supportive and well-organized academic environment that facilitates teaching and learning and supports student progression from an administrative and operational perspective.

Registrar

The Registrar maintains academic records and provides essential services such as course registration, transcript evaluation, enrollment verification, enforcement of academic policies and more.