Dr. Owolabi is a Professor of Research and the Director of Institutional Research and Assessment. She has been a member of Concordia-Chicago's faculty since 2011.

She currently teaches research in education and theories and models of evaluation for grants. Her areas of expertise include research methods, assessment of student learning, program review and evaluation. Additionally, Dr. Owolabi serves as a Peer Corps Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Prior to CUC, Dr. Owolabi served at the University of Illinois, College of Lake County and Oakton Community College. 

Degrees

  • PhD, Instructional Technology - Wayne State University; Detroit, MI 
  • MA, Education - University of British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia
  • BHE, Home Economics, Education - University of British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia

Academic and Professional Highlights

Awards and Honors 

  • Julia M. Duckwall Scholarship, Association for Institutional Research
  • Graduate Professional Scholarship, Wayne State University
  • Thomas Rumble Graduate Fellowship, Wayne State University
  • P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship, University of British Columbia 

Prior Positions

  • Associate Dean for Student Learning, Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL  
  • Director of Continuing Education, College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL     
  • Sr. Prog./Policy Analyst, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL  
  • Senior Instructor, Ontario Police College, Government of Ontario, Toronto, ON

Research

  • Research methods
  • Assessment of student learning
  • Program review
  • Evaluation

Selected Grants

  • Illinois State Board of Higher Education (IBHE), Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) Technical Assistance Grant, subaward from DePaul University Chicago, to Concordia University Chicago, 2013.
  • Illinois State Board of Higher Education (IBHE), The P-20 Longitudinal Data System Program, subaward from DePaul University Chicago to Concordia University Chicago, 2012 to 2013.
  • Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Paraprofessional Development Grant, to the College of Lake County in response to The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 which stated that paraprofessionals must show competency, 2002-2005. 

Professional Memberships

  • American Educational Research Association (AERA)
  • Association for Institutional Research (AIR)
  • Illinois Association for Institutional Research (I-AIR)
  • Chicago Area Association for Institutional Researchers (CAAIR)
  • Peer Corps Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
  • Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE)
  • Chicago Area Assessment Group (CAAG)

Publications:

  • Owolabi, E. (2019). An Autoethnographic Case Study: Long Distance Care of an Ageing Mother in Nigeria Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging (Submitted for review).

  • Owolabi, E. (2018). Improving Student Retention, Engagement and Belonging. Lutheran Education Journal Vol. 148, Summer 2018, pages 58-72.

  • Owolabi, E. (2017). Designing Multiple Assessment Methods to Capture the Complexity of Student Learning. Paper published in the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE). 2017 Conference Proceedings pages 24-31.

  • Owolabi, E. A., Peterat, L., Arcus, M. (1991). Home Economics Programmes in Oyo State Secondary Schools: A Survey.  International Journal of Consumer Studies. Vol. 15, Issue 1, pages 95-105.

Presentations:

  • “First Year Student Retention: Impact of Sense of Belonging and Motivation” Assessment Institute, Indiana University-Purdue University; Indianapolis, Ind., October, 2018

  • “Embedding Assessment: An Effective Model for Engaging Faculty in General Education Assessment.” Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE) Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, UT, June 2018.

  • “Tap into Your Leadership Potential.” Inaugural Gender and Gerontology Summit, Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, lL; April 2018.

  • “Wisdom of the Ages: Woman to Woman.” (with Bonnar, K.) Inaugural Gender and Gerontology Summit Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, lL; April 2018.

  • “Designing Multiple Methods of Assessment to Capture the Complexity of Student Learning.” Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE) Annual Conference, Louisville, KY, June 2017.

  • “Long Distance Elder Care in Sub-Sahara-Africa: Spirituality as a Source of Strength”. 7th International Conference for Ageing and Spirituality, River Forest, IL; June 2017.

  • "Using Qualitative Research to Assess and Improve the Quality of First Year Experience," Assessment Institute, Indiana University-Purdue University; Indianapolis, Ind., October 2015.

  • "Addressing Measurement Challenges in the Use of Rubrics to Evaluate General Education Outcomes," (with Bartholomew T. and Venzke, B.), Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association; Chicago, April 2015.

  • "Assessment Journey of a Mid-size Liberal Arts Institution," AALHE Conference; Albuquerque, N.M.; June 2014.

  • "Convergence of Institutional Research and Assessment in an Era of Data-Driven Decision Making," Presentation at the HLC Annual Conference; Chicago, April 2014.