Mission, Role and Capacity

The mission of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) at TUW is to support the continuation of student-centered approach as an institution dedicated to continued improvement of teaching and learning. The Office of Institutional Research reports to the Office of Academic Affairs.

The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) plays an important role in the provision of information for planning and decision making in all facets of the TUW Robust Learning Model, both for administrative and academic capacities.

Based on research presented by Douglass and Chirikov (2020) and Swing (2017), academic institutional research capability and capacity generally focuses on the concept of data-driven decision-making that includes:

  • Data collection and maintenance on core university activities.
  • Outcomes assessment, program review and accreditation.
  • Institutional reporting and analysis.
  • Data analytics and strategic planning.

Institutional Research provides official data and information about TUW external agencies as appropriate, and the TUW administration, faculty and staff. OIR supports University-wide strategic planning, supports Academic Program Review, manages/coordinates the majority of campus survey development and research, and provides/reports management information and policy analysis.

OIR Supports a Diverse Community Worldwide

TUW is a unique community of learners consisting of adult learners worldwide.  Our student body consists of military personnel from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, Department of Defense personnel, single parents with careers, as well as the professional student with a thirst for knowledge.

TUW has a diverse faculty and staff that complement the student population.  Additionally, most of the faculty and staff hold degrees from Bachelor’s through Ph.D and culturally contributes to TUW’s diverse community of learners.

This site is dedicated to provide information about TUW-TCLA for prospective students, parents, faculty and staff, regulatory agencies, those who conduct college surveys, and the general public.  The links below provide more detailed information about TUW and TCLA.

Touro University Worldwide
Touro College Los Angeles

Contact Information:

Dr. Aaron Brownstein
Director of Institutional Research
aaron.brownstein@touro.edu

Office of Institutional Research

Touro University Worldwide Student Population: 3,187 Total Students

Undergraduate Students: 6270%
Graduate Students: 25600%
For additional Quick Facts, please click here

The mission of the Office of Institutional Research is to support the continuation of student-centered approach as an institution dedicated to continued improvement of teaching and learning.

The Office of Institutional Research at is under the direction of the Office of Academic Affairs. Institutional research serves all aspects of the university, including Academic Affairs, Student Advisement, Admissions, Financial Aid, Bursar, and Human Resources Department.  Major responsibilities include:

  • Compiling and reporting official data
  • Coordinating internal survey research
  • Conducting special research projects
  • Benchmarking data from colleges accredited by WASC and/or similar to TUW-TCLA for use in comparative analyses.
  • Responding to special requests for data
  • Completing requests for data from outside agencies
  • Collaborating with other departments and providing guidance for data collection, coding, and reporting practices for consistency and accuracy within the University

The Director of Institutional Research along with the Office of Academic Affairs compiles results from surveys (ETS, Alumni survey, Exit survey) and student performance data in the form of Student Learning Outcomes (SLO), Program Learning Outcomes (PLO), Student Persistence, Student Graduation, Student average time to completion per academic level (Bachelor, Masters, Doctorate) etc. The Director of Institutional Research shares the information with the Provost and CEO which can inform institutional decision making. The Provost can further disseminate the reports to the corresponding Program Directors or School Directors for program specific decision making.

The Director of Institutional Research, the Office of Academic Affairs, and corresponding Program develop a plan for gathering relevant survey and student performance data for periodic reporting for accreditors and other external agencies. Moreover, the Director of Institutional Research, the Office of Academic Affairs, and corresponding Program Directors work together to gather survey and student performance data for internal program reviews and external program reviews for ongoing quality assurance.  

The Office of Institutional Research at complies with the Code of Ethics established by the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) and adopted by its membership in 2019.

Staff and faculty may make special requests such as research projects or research studies based institutional data as long as prior approval has been made through the Office of Academic Affairs. Final results of the special request will be disseminated to the original requestor(s), and OIR will report request completion to the Office of Academic Affairs.

Data that are held in confidence are typically of three types:

  1. Data on individual students or employees that must be held confidential either because of federal legislation such as FERPA or the University’s Institutional Review Board procedures.
  2. Data on other colleges/universities not obtained publicly through sources such as IPEDS.
  3. Data that would provide our competitors a competitive advantage.

Tables or documents containing confidential data are not circulated or publicly displayed. Any distribution of confidential data disseminated must be approved within the Office of Academic Affairs. Confidential data will always be clearly identified, and the requestor required to acknowledge in writing to keep the data confidential. Reports with confidential data are thoroughly scrutinized and disseminated using codes and/or removal of data in nature prior to distribution. Requestors of confidential data must ensure confidential reports are circulated without the confidential data attached.

The Office of Institutional Research does provide assistance with the design of survey instruments that does not originate within the office and/or is not approved in advance by the Office of Academic Affairs and the IRB. Requestors must submit their request in writing and be mindful of lead time, scope of the project, and expected outcome(s). At the least, expect a response within two to three weeks once the request for assistance is received. The extent of assistance provided with conducting and analyzing surveys depends on the nature of the survey request and is up to the discretion of the office.

The mission of the University’s Quality Assurance (QA) department is to ensure the diverse, equitable and inclusive learning materials and curricula throughout the university through the continuous improvement of program’s materials along with promoting quality communication between administration, faculty and students throughout the university. In this way, the Quality Assurance (QA) department complements the OIR and is a vital component in the University’s mission to serve the needs of adult learners (service to society), professionals (intellectual pursuit), and the underserved (social justice) that lead towards the development of ethical, well-rounded, and skilled graduates to make a lasting impact on their local communities and the global community.

The Quality Assurance (QA) department is led by the TUW Associate Provost collaborating with TUW staff, School Directors, and Program Directors, and faculty. In particular, the TUW Quality Assurance (QA) department ensures:

  • All course materials are available, accessible and published within the last 4 years in alignment with the University’s unique pedagogy (excluding required theoretical literature associated with the topic at hand)
  • Course revisions and course development are in alignment with Student Learning Outcomes (SLO and any applicable programmatic/discipline specific accreditations
  • Capstone course revisions and course development are in alignment with Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) and any applicable programmatic/discipline specific accreditations
  • Notification to School Directors and Program Directors regarding students at risk
  • Notification to School Directors and Program Directors about students’ concerns about course quality and a positive learning environment

Specific to Touro College Los Angeles (TCLA), the Director of Faculty Success (DFS) does the following to ensure quality assurance:

  • Monitors course delivery to help support compliance with TCLA policies
  • Supports the quality of course delivery ensuring they include important TCLA policies and information, such as Program Learning Objectives (PLOs) and course-specific Student Learning Objectives (SLOs).
  • Reviews course syllabi to check for use of the template and inclusion of important information such as course resources and student learning outcomes of the course.
  • Reminds the TCLA community about assessments by posting Announcements for students in CANVAS courses and sending email reminders to Instructors
  • Provides feedback to instructors on completion of assessments such as scores on Capstone achievement tests.

Touro University Worldwide is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Additionally, several of our academic programs are accredited by state and disciplinary-specific accreditation organizations. These organizations further ensure high-quality academic programs with discipline-specific, specialized standards that offer confidence about learning experiences, student preparedness, and program reliability. Below is a list of our academic programs accredited by these organizations.

Academic ProgramData and OutcomesAccrediting Organization
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and ManagementStudent Achievement BSBA and MBA ProgramsAccreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
Bachelor of Arts in Social WorkAssessment of Student Learning OutcomesCouncil on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation
Master of Business AdministrationStudent Achievement BSBA and MBA ProgramsAccreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family TherapyGraduate Achievement DataCommission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education
MFT Clinical Program Goal Results

References