Institutional Research What is it all About

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Institutional Research What is it all About

• KBOR Data Conference
• June 8 -9, 2006
• Dawn Ressel

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Goals

• Describe the role of Institutional Research
• Guidelines for Institutional Researchers
• List website resources available to help with
  your job
• Importance for networking and professional
  development

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Describe the Role of Institutional Research
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Title of KSPSD Users

• Users who have Write or Lock Access to KSPSD or
  CaTERS
• Institutional Research or Analyst in Title 35
• Information Technology Titles 21
• Registrar Titles 13
• Miscellaneous Other Titles 31
• Secretary, Deans, Directors, Technical Ed
  Coordinators, Student Services, Financial Aid,
  President

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Do you consider yourself an IR professional??
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Definition 1 - Institutional Research

• Research conducted within an institution of
  higher education in order to provide information
  which supports planning, policy formation, and
  decision making. Saupe (1981)

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What does that mean??

• Individuals who
• Create reports relevant to the issues at your
  institution has a finger on the pulse of the
  institution
• Dont waste time on reports, just because they
  have always been done make certain they are
  still needed
• Make reports easy to interpret straight to the
  point

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Definition 2 - Institutional Research

• A critical intermediary function that links the
  educational, managerial, and information
  functions of higher education institutions and
  systems. Peterson (1985)

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What does that mean??

• Individuals who
• Talk to others at your institution
• Strive to have everyone use a central data source
  not individual databases
• Strive to have everyone use the same definition
• Stress if a central database is used, name fields
  appropriately
• ARE CONSISTENT in reporting!!!!!

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Definition 3 - Institutional Research

• The analysis and interpretation of institutional
  records and data, plus the occasional or periodic
  studies that are necessary to supplement routine
  record keeping and reporting. Fincher (1985)

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What does that Mean??

• Individuals who
• Create reports for many different audiences
• Federal Reporting (IPEDS)
• State Reporting (KSPSD, CaTERS, etc.)
• Local Reporting (Board, President, etc.)
• Verify data accuracy and consistency

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What is Institutional Research

• There is not a commonly accepted definition of
  Institutional Research.
• The role of an IR office is different from campus
  to campus.
• There are some common practices IR professionals
  do, or should do.
• We are all IR professionals!

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Guidelines for Institutional Researchers
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Size of Office

• Data from National Association of Institutional
  Research Analysis of users
• One person office 20
• Small office (two individuals) 36
• Medium office (3-4 individuals) 19
• Large office (5 individuals) 22
• Most IR professionals dont have too much time on
  their hands!!!
• We have to be smart

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Reporting Redundancy

• This is a large drain on IR professionals
• Create a document, possibly a factbook, that
  contains answers to popular questions.
• Enrollment counts by categories
• Persistence Rates
• Faculty information
• Tuition and fee charges
• Be sure to include several years worth of data
• Have easy access to the document (shared server
  location, website, etc.)

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Procedures for Reporting Results

• Make certain the goal is understood
• Ask the due date and how the information will be
  used
• Breakdown the request into meaningful data
  statements
• Re-state the question to the requestor to make
  certain you understand

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Use Clean Data

• Clean up your data once preferably in the
  central database
• Try to consolidate any satellite databases
• Strive to use standard definitions and terms all
  over campus

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List resources available to help with our job
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Peer Analysis

• In order to evaluate how an institution is doing,
  it is important to compare to other institutions.
• Data sources for peer institutions
• IPEDS COOL / Peer Analysis System
  (http//nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ )
• Chronicle of Higher Education (http//chronicle.co
  m/stats/ )
• Census Website (http//www.census.gov/ )
• Grapevine (http//www.coe.ilstu.edu/grapevine/)
• FAEIS (Food and Agricultural Education
  Information System) (http//faeis.ahnrit.vt.edu/)

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Importance for networking and professional
development
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Upcoming Conferences

• National Community College Benchmarking
  Conference (www.jccc.net/benchmarking)
• Johnson County Community College (KC)
• Aug 1 3, 2006
• Mid-AIR Conference (http//www.mid-air.org/ )
• Kansas City
• November 8 10, 2006
• National AIR Conference (http//www.airweb.org/ )
• Kansas City
• June 2-6, 2007

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Questions