Maintaining An Effective Maintaining An Effective Institutional Research OfficeInstitutional Research Office

TAIR Newcomers

February 20 and 22, 2002

Omni Marina Hotel

Corpus Christi, Texas

Presented by Marilyn J. Greer, Ph.D.

Director, Institutional ResearchUniversity of Houston

mjgreer@uh.edu

Many thanks to TAIR for sponsoring the “Train the Trainer” session at the AIR Forum in

Long Beach, California.

This presentation follows an outline by

Karen W. Bauer, Ph.D.Assistant Director

Institutional Research and PlanningUniversity of Delaware

Projections of Education Statistics,

National and Texas, to 2015

Current Trends in Higher Ed. Students

• More diverse, older student body• More remedial needs• Most employed while enrolled• Differing reasons for college attendance• Technologically comfortable• Big consumers – credit cards, cars, cell phones• View themselves as CUSTOMERS to colleges

Projections of Projections of Education Statistics – Education Statistics – 2000-2011 2000-2011

NCESNCES

• Enrollment in degree-granting institutions is projected to increase 20% by 2011 (to 17.7m).

• Public institution enrollment is expected to increase to 13.6 m (20%) by 2011.

• Private institution enrollment is expected to increase 4.1m (18%) by 2011.

State of Texas Projections, 2000-2015• Total Texas population will grow at an average annual rate

of 2%;

• Hispanics are projected to increase from 31% to 39%;

• Blacks are expected to decrease from 11.4% to 10.6%;

• Whites are also projected to decrease from 54.6% to 45.3%.(from Study Paper 27, updated January 2001.)

Texas Higher Ed. ProjectionsTexas Higher Ed. Projections

Enrollments are projected to increase:• For public universities, 1.5% annual increase

between 2000 and 2005; 2005 to 2015, increase by 1.1% annually or a total of 498,000 by 2015;

• For public community colleges, 1.7% increase between 2000 & 2005; 2005 to 2015, increase by 1.6% or a total of 559,000.

(from Study Paper 27, updated January 2001.)

Roles of the IR Professional:1. Provide useful information;

2. Maintain timelines and efficiency;

3. Be accurate; and

4. Be knowledgeable of current trends in the economy, legislation, and education.

What is Institutional Research?What is Institutional Research?“Research leading to improved understanding, planning, and operations of institutions of post-secondary education.” (AIR)

“Provides information to senior leaders that will be used for decision making. Sometimes we are involved in decision-making, sometimes not.” (K. Bauer, U of Delaware)

“Accurate, timely, unbiased, research-based information regarding the University and its role in higher education that serves as a catalyst in support of the University’s mission, effective operations of the University, and customers of the University.” (UH Fact

Book 2000)

Skills of an IR Professional

• Familiarity with fundamentals of institutional research;

• Technological and analytical skills;

• Issues intelligence; and

• Contextual intelligence.

III. Institutional Research III. Institutional Research ResourcesResources

Books and MonographsAIRNew Directions SeriesSage PublicationsASHE-ERIC ReadersSpecialty Areas

IR Resources – Journals and Reports

Journals and ReportsAIR Professional FileChronicle of Higher EducationDepartment of Education ReportsResearch in Higher EducationJournal of Higher Education

IR Resources

Professional Associations

Professional AssociationsAssociation for Institutional Research

(http://www.airweb.org)Southern Association for Institutional

Research (http://www.sair.org/)Texas Association for Institutional Research

(http://www.texas-air.org)

External & Internal ResourcesExternal & Internal Resources

External Resources – Data SourcesCarnegie Classification of UniversitiesCommon Data SetNational Center for Education Statistics

(NCES)U. S. Census BureauU.S. News and World Report

External & Internal ResourcesExternal & Internal Resources

External Resources – commissions, public education agenciesAssociation of American UniversitiesLegislative Budget BoardNational Center for Public Policy and Higher

EducationSouthern Association of Colleges and SchoolsTexas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Internal ResourcesInternal Resources

Annual ReportsInstitutional Financial StatementsCollege Library ResourcesInternally developed surveys or purchased

instrumentsFacts and Figures booklets or sheetsInter-Institutional comparisons

IV. IV. Key ResponsibilitiesKey Responsibilities

Data Collection and ReportingEnrollment ManagementInter-Institutional Comparisons:

Peer Group Studies – Peer StudiesFact Books

Data Collection and Reporting

• How do you collect data?• Use of a Data Warehouse

Enrollment ManagementEnrollment Management Analysis of Groups Enrollment Projections/Modeling Graduation and Retention Reports

Inter-Institutional ComparisonsInter-Institutional ComparisonsTypes of Comparison GroupsTypes of Comparison Groups

o Competitor

o Aspiring

o Pre-Determined

o Peer

FACT BOOKSFACT BOOKS

Assessment in Institutional Research

5 Steps for 5 Steps for Assessment ProjectsAssessment Projects

1. Specify Goals and Objectives;

2. Design the Overall System; Select Methods and Measures;

3. Collect Data

4. Analyze and Interpret Data

5. Report Findings

Designing a Survey Instrument

Focus Groups

VI. Financial AnalysisVI. Financial Analysis

General Finance/Budget RequestsStudent Financial AidSalary Comparisons, Equity StudiesFaculty Workload

Salary Equity Studies – Suggested Variables

• Rank• Tenure• Gender• Ethnic/Racial Status• Years of Service• Degree Level• Type of Degree• Number of Terminal Degrees• Years in Rank• Department• School Where Received Degree

VII. Presentation of DataVII. Presentation of DataA. Stages of Data Analysis

B. Presentation Guidelines

C. Presentation Design Elements

Presentation Design ElementsPresentation Design Elements

• Professional Appearance

• Ask a trusted colleague to

listen to the presentation

• Think visually

• Font Selection

• Clip Art

• Color

Summary Strategies for Summary Strategies for Successful IRSuccessful IR

• Establish centrality of the office;

• Establish a friendly, professional relationship with key campus individuals;

• Write reports that are easy to understand;

• Obtain data from primary sources;

• Use survey research only when needed; &

• Be a FORWARD THINKER!

Thank you!

Good Luck with Institutional Research!