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HOW DOES DOCTORAL RESEARCH AT
NCU COMPARE? AN ASSESSMENT
By Dr. Heather Hussey, Assistant Vice President
for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness; and
Dr. Tara Lehan, Director of Strategic Research
NCU recently assessed the quality of dissertations produced by our doctoral students in 2019. This was a cross-
departmental project involving over 50 internal and external raters, including support from the American Association of
Colleges & Universities. Many thanks to the nearly 100 people who helped make this happen!
Dissertations from our students in business, education, psychology, and marriage and family therapy were compared with
those from peer institutions using a rubric with 15 criteria. Dissertations were rated on the following scale: 4 = exemplary,
3 = accomplished, 2 = developing, 1 = beginning, and 0 = behavior not present.
NCU dissertations received scores of accomplished or exemplary on all 15 rubric criteria. In comparison to external
peers, NCU dissertations scored higher on all 15 rubric criteria except for "Broader Implications" and "Use of Disciplinary
Conventions" (a subcategory of written communication). Among our strengths were literature and previous work, and
opportunities for growth existed in areas of critical thinking.
We are very proud of the work of our students and faculty, reflected in the high ratings given for NCU dissertations.
However, we never stop striving to improve. Next steps include examining opportunities to strengthen teaching and
learning opportunities related to critical thinking skills.
Download a snapshot of the assessment here. To see the comprehensive report, please email us at OAIR@ncu.edu.
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What is OPIE?
The Office of Planning and
Institutional Effectiveness (OPIE)
leads NCU's efforts to measure
student success. OPIE uses
institutional and program-level
outcomes data, survey data, and
other data sets. Want to learn more?
Read this resource document.
NCU HAPPENINGS | FEBRUARY 2021 | STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY EDITION
