Office of Institutional Assessment, Research and Planning

IE unit assessment (which is a form of Program Assessment) is the systematic process of units identifying expected outcomes of its administrative support services and demonstrates the extent to which the outcomes are achieved.

The IE Unit Assessment process at TAMIU is cyclical in nature, consisting of 3 main phases:

1. Plan phase: Unit staff collectively decide which outcomes/objectives will be prioritized for assessment and what measures will be used to collect data.
2. Data Collection phase: Unit staff implement their plan for obtaining data over the course of an academic year.
3. Report phase: Data is analyzed and discussed. The findings are used to determine the extent to which the outcomes are achieved

The University requires that units provide documentation of their unit assessment efforts. The Office of Institutional Assessment, Research, and Planning facilitates the documentation process in HelioCampus (formerly AEFIS).

(1) Academic and student support units and (2) administrative units are expected to engage in annual assessment of their services and document the process. The University's accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) defines these units as:

• Academic & student support units -- "...services that support student success...[and] include such activities as library and learning/information resources, faculty resource centers, tutoring, writing centers, academic computer centers, student disability support centers, financial aid, residence life, student activities, dean of students’ office, and so on. Most institutions would also include admissions offices within this category. These units provide direct support to faculty and students as related to their educational programs, indirect support for student learning, or a specific cocurricular mission that supports the college experience."

• Administrative units -- "...units [which] normally include offices and departments such as finance and procurement, facilities and physical plant, administrative services, development/advancement, research office, the president’s office, etc. These offices serve the educational mission of the institution in a much more indirect way than do offices related to educational programs or academic and student services, but they are just as critical for the ability of the institution to achieve its mission."

Each unit appoints one or more Program Coordinators for each unit to be responsible for ensuring annual documentation is submitted annually based on University guidelines and due dates.  Some units may produce structured annual reports that fulfill the requirements of assessment reporting. 

To see more specific information and resources relevant to the Program Coordinator role, please visit the Program Coordinator webpage.

If you're new to assessment, we recommend checking out our Assessment 101 resource page first. Here you'll find general information about assessment, some helpful videos explaining each stage of the assessment process, and other resources.

Next we recommend reviewing the rest of the information on the "What is IE Unit Assessment?" page. 

If you're ready for a deeper dive, review the IE Unit Assessment Guidelines, a comprehensive resource which can be used as a companion manual while documenting your unit's Assessment Plan and Report. It describes requirements, best practices, and tips to help you with both your assessment strategy and how to document it.

As always, we are happy to meet with you to discuss your assessment strategy and answer any questions you may have. Email us at assessment@tamiu.edu to get something scheduled!

• Assessment Plans for the upcoming academic year are submitted every Spring semester.
• Assessment Reports for the previous academic year are submitted every Fall semester.

These due dates vary slightly each year as they fall on Fridays. Visit Program Coordinator webpage to see specific due dates for the current/active Program Assessment cycles.

Please be aware that Office Reviewers have authority to determine their own due dates for Assessment Plans and Reports. If your Reviewer does not communicate different deadlines, programs are expected to follow the due dates published on the OIARP website. Automatic reminder emails based on the published due dates have been set up in the HelioCampus system, so please note that you may receive notifications that communicate different due dates from what your Reviewer has communicated to you.

TAMIU uses HelioCampus to document Assessment Plans & Reports. Instructors and students automatically have an account in HelioCampus. OIARP can manually set up user accounts for staff. Users are prompted to log in using their NetID and password. Users who have an account must request to be added to a support unit in the system, which then provides you with access to the relevant Unit Assessment forms.

Need access to Unit Assessment forms in HelioCampus? Click HelioCampus Request Form to request access. Please be sure to include the specific unit(s) you need access to.

This HelioCampus (AEFIS) User Guide shows how to:

• Log in to the system
• Access, navigate, and submit academic assessment forms
• View form history and save your work for later

When an Assessment Report is completed at the end of a cycle, the report is archived in the HelioCampus system and is accessible by individuals who hold the Program Coordinator role.

OIARP provides final report ratings (Exemplary, Sufficient, Developing, Needs Attention) to Program Coordinators. OIARP does not share Assessment Reports directly with any other parties, with the exception of the University's 5-year and 10-year SACSCOC accreditation reports where they are included as supporting documents.