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Below you will find news from the Office of Institutional Research & Planning. Specifically, you can find Institutional Research & Assessment News and Space Planning Campus Updates.

Space Planning Campus Updates

Space Planning and Management is happy to share our new space request form. Campus departments and organizational units can submit a space request form to change how a space is used, to change the stewardship of a space, or to request additional space. This online form replaces our old pdf space request form, making it easier for departments to submit space requests.

Access the new space request form here.

The form and more information about space requests, including next steps after you submit your space request form, can also be found on the Institutional Research and Planning website under Space Utilization and Space Requests & Office Moves.

For more information about space requests and other space planning needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at space@uncw.edu.

Space Planning and Management provides support, analysis, and accurate space inventory information, aiding campus officials and administrators in making informed business and educational decisions related to space allocation and utilization. Space Planning and Management continues to expand its capability to develop and distribute information about space usage on campus. The space needs of the university can be better served by increasing the awareness of space issues on campus and continuing to bring faculty and staff into the space allocation, utilization, and/or reassignment process. Your role in providing updated and accurate information on a regular basis is critical to ensure the reports and consultation Space Planning and Management provided to campus leadership is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions about space related data, please reach out to space@uncw.edu.

 It is important to remind all employees of the Space Allocation Policy for UNCW.  As units plan for future space needs, please consult with Space Planning and Management to ensure your request aligns within the campus space planning process. We are happy to walk with you through this process and even assist you with completing any Space Requests. 

 Please reach out to Dr. Andy Mauk, Associate Provost of Institutional Research & Planning if you have questions.

Institutional Research & Assessment News

Spring 2025 Training Opportunities for Faculty, Administrative Unit Assessment Coordinators, and Educational Program Coordinators 

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Undergraduate Education & Faculty Affairs are delivering several training opportunities for faculty and program coordinators over the next several months. These training sessions address assessment reporting, the implementation of the new Blue platform for student evaluation of teaching, and Watermark Faculty Success.  

Assessment Trainings 
Do you have a responsibility to write an end of year assessment report for a credentialed program or administrative unit?  If so, please consider joining one of these training sessions. In each, we will review reporting expectations, navigating within Planning & Self Study, as well as providing individual work time. Please save the date for the following opportunities: 

  • CSB
  • Assessment Training – September Date is forthcoming
  • CHSSA
  • Assessment Drop In, April 23, 2025, Noon – 3:00 PM, Bear Hall 161
  • Assessment Drop In, May 7, 2025, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Bear Hall 161
  • CSE
  • Assessment Drop In, April 24, 2025, 9:00 AM – Noon, Friday Hall 1009
  • CHHS
  • Assessment Days
  • April 30—School of Social Work: 1PM - 3PM (VH 3504) *Bring your own laptop
  • May 20—SHAHS: 10AM - 12PM (VH 1514) *Bring your own laptop
  • May 27—CHHS All Schools Drop-in Session: 1PM - 3PM (VH 1514) *Bring your own laptop
  • May 29—CHHS All Schools Drop-in Session: 9AM - 12PM (VH 1514) *Bring your own laptop
  • May 14-CHHS School of Nursing: 9AM - 12PM (MC 2061) 
    WCE 
  • Assessment Day, May 15, 2025, 8:30 AM - 12:30PM, Education Building 162

  • Administrative Units Coordinators’ PSS Training
  • “Planning & Self Study with Pizza” – May 22, 2025, 1:00PM -3:00PM, Hoggard 252

Critical Friends Assessment Academy will not be offered this summer.  We are evaluating this program for future consideration. 

Blue – Student Evaluation of Teaching 
Are you teaching this summer and want to get acquainted with Blue course evaluations and preparing your evaluations for administration? These sessions will showcase the solution and interface, show how faculty can review and update their course evaluation, and provide resources for student communications.  Please save these dates and Zoom links to your calendar Course Evaluation Training Sessions via Zoom, click on each section for the link. 


Watermark Faculty Success 

Do you need additional guidance on Watermark Faculty Success?  These sessions will demonstrate how to populate and edit activities in WFS screens, run reports, and other tips for using the platform.  

  • April 3, 2025 from 12:30-2:30 pm in King Hall Room 210 
  • April 23, 2025 from 2:00-4:00 pm in King Hall Room 210 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at ie@uncw.edu.

UNCW students have a new course evaluation solution launching this summer! The Institutional Effectiveness Office has worked collaboratively with the Facutly Senate Evaluation Committee to prepare for the launch of the Blue Course Evaluation solution. This transition began in 2023 with a review of the current solution that included stakeholder feedback, a request for proposal process, and the adoption and pilot of the new Blue Course Evaluation solution.  

The official launch date of the new solution is Saturday, June 14, 2025! Faculty members will be provided directions and more information by email on Monday, May 19, 2025. There will also be several “training” dates announced for the spring semester. 

For more detailed information on the Blue course evaluation system, we have created two internal SharePoint sites.  One SharePoint site was created for instructors, sharing information on how to prepare course evaluations for students.  A second SharePoint site was created for the student audience, so faculty can share information on the new course evaluation solution with them. 

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to CourseEvals@uncw.edu 

Please join me in welcoming our new assessment team supporting academic and administrative unit assessment, program review, and accreditation. 

 

  • Kris Byrd for College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts (CHSSA) and College of Science and Engineering (CSE)

Kris Byrd comes to us from UNC Charlotte serving as the director of assessment, planning and accreditation, in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences for 3+ years. She has previously worked at Savannah College or Art and Design as a senior assessment and curriculum specialist, and at Virginia Commonwealth University as an assistant professor and assessment coordinator.  Kris currently holds a master’s degree in history from the University of South Florida. 

  • Joyce Bahhouth for Watson College of Education (WCE) and Cameron School of Business (CSB)

Dr. Bahhouth comes to us from Bladen Community College (BCC) as an associate vice present for college assessment and accreditation, serving in this position for 2+ years and at BCC for 15+ years. Also at Bladen Community College, she has served as associate vice president for instructional operations and as dean of arts and sciences and developmental students. She has also served in the roles of faculty member and department chair. Dr. Bahhouth holds a PhD in English as a Second Language from the University of Holy Spirit and a master’s in education from American University.

  • Jennifer McBride Koch for College of Health and Human Services (CHHS)

Dr. McBride Koch comes to us from Brunswick Community College, previously serving as Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Initiatives. She has also served as Assistant Vice President of Instructional Operations at Cape Fear Community College and has also taught English at Cape Fear Community College and NC Wesleyan University. Dr. McBride Koch holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters in English from UNCW. 

We are also very excited to welcome Terrell Bryant, who is transitioning to Assessment Systems Reporting Manager in Institutional Research & Planning. He will be supporting curriculum management for the College of Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts and College of Science & Engineering while moving into the role of system administrator for the university’s assessment technologies and continue to provide assessment coordination support.

Please extend a warm UNCW welcome to our new assessment team!

The Institutional Effectiveness (IE) Office is excited to announce the implementation of a new course evaluation platform, Blue by Explorance, which will be rolled out in the Summer of 2025. The new platform will replace UNCW’s current solution, IDEA Course Evaluation, which was implemented in the fall of 2013. Based on a motion from the Faculty Senate and with nominations from Faculty Senate and the Provost, a committee was created and charged to develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) to seek a new course evaluation solution. Chaired by Kimberly Miller, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, faculty feedback was gained about critical course evaluation needs, and this information informed the selection process to identify prospective vendors.  Please thank the following members and volunteers for their time, input, and support:

  • Robert Bisanar, Purchasing
  • Jennifer Erpelding, Institutional Research & Planning
  • Stacey Kolomer, School of Social Work
  • Zerek Olson, Information Technology Services
  • Allison Toney, Mathematics & Statistics
  • Volunteer Satlaj Dighe, Educational Leadership
  • Volunteer Jeffery Toth, Psychology

The transition aimed at increasing our use of technology to collect meaningful student feedback that will allow our faculty to reflect on their teaching effectiveness, quality of course delivery, and overall student learning experience. This advanced solution is designed to enhance and streamline the course evaluation process, making it more efficient and impactful for both faculty and students. Blue is a powerful survey tool with the ability to gather a variety of data that provides multi-level insights.  

Examples of features of Blue by Explorance:

  1. Real-time Tracking Interface: Blue provides instructors and course coordinators with access to monitor the progress and response rate throughout the course evaluation process. Its subject management functionality also offers expanded permissions for faculty to manage evaluations more effectively.
  2. Customizable Questionnaire instruments: The system enables personalized questions based on specific criteria, using triggers and branching mechanisms. This customization is designed to improve response rates and provide more accurate assessments of teaching effectiveness.

Currently, the project is in its initial stages of implementation. The IE Office is working with Explorance to design and build this solution for the university.  In conjunction with this work, the IE Office is supporting the Faculty Senate Evaluation Committee to communicate the new functionality of the software and to provide information for the committee to develop a new university course evaluation. A fall 2024 pilot is planned for November 27 to December 12, 2024. For more information on the pilot, please contact ie@uncw.edu.

In the spring of 2025, adjustments will be made based on pilot feedback and training sessions for faculty and administrators will be available to ensure a smooth transition to this new technology. The IE Office looks forward to the enhanced efficiencies that Blue by Explorance will bring to course evaluations and the positive impact it will have on teaching and learning outcomes across campus.

 

 

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