Skip to content
MyBTC Apply
About Us > Institutional Research

Institutional Research and Effectiveness

This page:
Surveys Student Achievement Human Subjects Research Resources

Institutional research and effectiveness at Blackhawk Technical College is to provide methodological support, information derived from data, and analysis in support of student success and overall institutional effectiveness.

Functions that comprise our mission:

  • To work collaboratively with faculty and administrators in identifying data needs.
  • To investigate factors related to student success using a methodological framework.
  • To present these findings to the institutional community to facilitate policy and pedagogical changes.
  • To oversee data requests from external agencies with the support of the Institutional Research and Effectiveness department.

Services we provide for Blackhawk Technical College:

  • Responding to ad hoc research requests.
  • Identifying data needs for pilots, grants, and program reviews.
  • Designing survey instruments.
  • Providing data for research projects and grants.
  • Assessment strategies consulting.

Surveys

Needs assessment surveys are conducted to determine the need and support by area businesses for new programs and changes to existing programs.

The primary objectives of the survey are to identify the current status of BTC program graduates and to determine the extent to which this current status is related to the graduates’ educational programs. The annual Graduate Outcomes Survey is conducted six months after graduation.

The primary objective of the survey is for employers to rate how well BTC programs prepare graduates to meet the employers’ expectations compared to what they expect of any entry-level employee. The Employer Follow-up Survey is conducted once every four years.

Student Achievement

Retention rates measure the percentage of first-time students who return to the institution to continue their studies the following fall.

Human Subjects Research

Overview & Guidelines

The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, while performing administrative functions of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), serves as the official oversight office for human subject research at Blackhawk Technical College. The Office is the central point of contact for investigators, research subjects, and regulatory agencies. The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness organizes and documents the IRB review process and provides assurance that the human subject research undertaken is in compliance with federal, state, and campus policies.

All research involving human subjects that is conducted at or sponsored by the Blackhawk Technical College, whether funded or unfunded and whether conducted by Blackhawk Technical College faculty or others, must comply with applicable policies for the protection of human subjects. Federal policies require that any research activities involving human subjects be conducted in such a manner as to:

  1. Respect and protect the rights and welfare of the subjects involved
  2. Ensure that informed consent is obtained when this is appropriate/required
  3. Ensure that potential benefits from the research outweigh any risks. Blackhawk Technical College is fully committed to ensuring the responsible and ethical treatment of any human subjects involved in research, whether conducted by Blackhawk Technical College students or employees directly, or in partnership with others on or off-campus.

View Proposal to Conduct Research Application