Institutional Effectiveness
Supporting Quality Through Evidence
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness supports quality, accountability, and informed decision-making at Mid-State Technical College.
Data, Governance & Compliance
We oversee reporting, evaluation, and regulatory requirements.
Standards & Improvement
Our efforts ensure high standards, strengthen programs, and support student success.
Supporting Decision-Makers
We provide data and insight to staff, College leadership, and external stakeholders.
Reliable & Responsive Service
We provide accurate information when it is needed most.
Our Work in Action
Institutional Effectiveness focuses on three key areas that support quality, accountability, and informed decision-making across Mid-State.
Data & Reporting
Our goal is to provide clear, reliable data that supports sound decisions. We collect, analyze, and report data that supports planning, performance tracking, and transparency.
Services include:
- Board of Directors Dashboard
- PeopleSoft queries
- Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) data reporting
- Full-time equivalent (FTE) reporting
- Tableau dashboards
- Ad hoc reports (retention, dual credit, enrollment, and more)
Research & Evaluation
We evaluate programs and services to ensure quality and alignment with workforce and student needs. These evaluations support continuous improvement across the College.
Areas of responsibility include:
- Program review
- Apprenticeship review
- Adult Basic Education review
- General Education discipline review
- Service team evaluation
- Focus groups
- Surveys
- Labor market data analysis
Compliance & Accreditation
Mid-State maintains required state and federal compliance standards. We oversee institutional and program reporting to ensure accountability. These efforts confirm that Mid-State meets established standards for higher education.
Responsibilities include:
- Institutional accreditation
- Program accreditation
- IPEDS reporting
- NC-SARA participation
Institutional Review Board
Mid-State encourages scholarly work by students, faculty, staff, and educational researchers. If a project involves research with human subjects, it must receive Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval before participant involvement or data collection begins.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) ensures that:
- Participants’ rights and welfare are protected
- Risks are minimized
- Benefits are maximized when possible
- Informed consent is obtained
- Private information remains confidential
- Research follows ethical and legal standards
More About the IRB Process
Researchers should first determine whether their proposed project requires IRB approval. Some research projects involving human subjects are exempt from IRB approval requirements. Exempt projects typically include normal educational practices such as work undertaken as a part of a course, educational tests in which subjects are not identified, and surveys or interviews in which subjects volunteer and are not personally identified.
See the US Department of Health and Human Services website for more information about IRB approval requirements.
Once you determine that your research requires IRB approval, please contact Mid-State’s Institutional Effectiveness, Accreditation & Quality team to start your IRB request.
The College's IRB does not assume the role of evaluating proposed research, its merits, or its potential contribution to scholarly literature. We also do not assist with recruiting of test subjects. Rather, the IRB is charged with evaluating each project’s compliance with ethical standards.
There are two types of IRB review at Mid-State: Exempt and Expedited. The design of the research and what participants will be asked to do are the primary determinants of which type of review applies.
Exempt Review
Some kinds of research only involve human participation in a peripheral way. For instance, the research may involve data that already exists, anonymous surveys, or comparison of instructional methods. There is a specific set of criteria defined in 45 CFR 46.101 (b) that can qualify a project for exempt status.
Expedited Review
For projects that are not exempt but involve no more than minimal risk to participants, an expedited process exists for obtaining IRB approval. As with an IRB exemption, there are specific criteria that must be met in order to qualify for expedited review. Research already approved by another regionally accredited IRB generally qualifies for an expedited review.
Note: Mid-State does not provide full reviews of research proposals involving more than minimal risk or using certain protected populations.
