Department: Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP)

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP) advances the strategic goals of George Mason University through collaborations focused on engaging partners in data-informed strategic, operational, and tactical decision-making.

We ensure accuracy by using structured, multi-step processes, and proven methodologies. We promote equity by exploring at micro and macro levels to uncover disparity of experience. Our innate inquisitiveness requires that we explore new and innovative methods. We do this all with integrity that binds us to honesty, trust, pride, and responsibility to produce quality information.

About the Position:

The Senior Assessment Planner is responsible for coordinating and supporting Mason's institutional assessment and effectiveness efforts. This includes, but is not limited to, supporting annual assessment and program review for co-curricular units, Mason Core assessment, assessment data and dashboard, and internal and external assessment reporting. The position also contributes to the assessment analysis and research, and serves as the application administrator and technical support expert for the institutional assessment software platforms, such as Nuventive.

Responsibilities:

Mason Core Assessment:

• Following guidance provided by the Associate Director of Institutional Effectiveness:
  • Assists in delivering regular assessment trainings and workshops, including individual and group consultations, as appropriate;
  • Drafts and refines assessment tools (e.g., rubrics);
  • Creates and maintains Mason Core assessment data dashboards that provide critical metrics for use in the assessment process;
  • Monitors and ensures timely completion of assessment activities; and
  • Serves as a member of the Mason Core Assessment Council.

Co-Curricular Assessment:

• Annual Planning and Reporting:
  • Provides management and assistance to co-curricular units in using the university's planning and reporting tool;
  • Ensures submission of assessment plans and results in the planning and reporting tool in accordance with established guidelines;
  • Maintains a repository for assessment reports and prepares reports as needed;
  • Participates in an assessment peer review process for academic, co-curricular, and administrative units;
  • Provides training to units to ensure best practice application in assessment;
  • Delivers professional learning opportunities on assessment topics by arranging workshops and maintaining a library of assessment methodology, ideas, and materials;
  • Supports ad hoc project assessment (e.g., First Year Experience, Success Coaching, ARIE, etc.); and
  • Serves as a member of Co-Curricular Assessment Council.

Program Review:

• Assists in facilitating co-curricular program review processes in support of institutional effectiveness goals and as part of a broader team of institutional assessment experts within OIEP;
• Establishes and maintains the CCPR schedule for the division; and
• Maintains a repository for program review reports.

Assessment Data, Reporting, and Management Support:

• Provides data support for data requests and dashboard development as needed;
• Prepares reports on assessment analysis and research findings for university leadership;
• Produces executive memos, detailed reports, visualizations showcasing assessment analysis results, offering insightful interpretations for continuous improvement;
• Organizes and disseminates assessment projects and reports on the OIEP webpage to provide useful information to stakeholders;
• Supports ad hoc assessment initiatives and projects at both program and institution levels; and
• Provides guidance to faculty and staff across the institution on utilizing the university's planning and reporting tool (e.g., Nuventive) through consultations, training sessions, and workshops.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree or equivalent and demonstrated experience (generally two or more years) in assessment, higher education, or social science research;
• Experience with student learning outcomes, assessment practices and methods, and rubric design;
• Demonstrated experience in report writing, as well as presenting findings to audiences of varying levels of understanding on assessment-related projects;
• Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering workshops and training on assessment-related initiatives;
• Knowledge of student learning outcomes, assessment practices and methods, and rubric design;
• Demonstrated knowledge of and skill in report writing, as well as presenting findings to audiences of varying levels of understanding on assessment-related projects;
• Demonstrated knowledge of and skill in developing and delivering workshops and training on assessment-related initiatives;
• Strong qualitative and quantitative analytic skills;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Effective verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability to exercise substantial attention to detail;
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment; and
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in higher education, educational research, social science, or a research-orientated discipline, or comparable work experience;
• Considerable experience in assessment, higher education, and/or social science research (generally three or more years);
• Proficiency in a survey administration platform (e.g., Qualtrics);
• Proficiency in an assessment platform (e.g., Nuventive, Tk20);
• Proficiency in the use of statistical analyses and packages (e.g., SPSS, SAS, SQL); and
• Demonstrated familiarity with higher education data.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Senior Assessment Planner at Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and curriculum vitae.

Posting Open Date: April 3, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: April 28, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes