"Building Institutional Capacity for Data-Informed Decision Making" is the third installment of the Cutting Edge series, which aims to help colleges engage faculty, scale successful interventions, and create a strong culture of evidence through use of data to strengthen their institutional change and student success efforts. Though the…

Evaluation of campus computer services has been limited by the ability of higher education administrators to relate their experience in evaluating other, more traditional services to the technical complexity of computing services. The explosive growth of computer technologies requires development of a common framework for their evaluation. (MSE)

Colleges and universities considering adoption of new technologies should first consider why the initiative is occurring; whether it is based on careful discussion of educational goals and means; what social visions are built into and enacted by a given technology; how context of use will shape the way the technology is used; and how different…

Colleges and universities are initiating data warehouse projects to provide integrated information for planning and reporting purposes. A survey of 40 institutions with active data warehouse projects reveals the kinds of tools, contents, data cycles, and access currently used. Essential elements of an integrated information architecture are…

A conceptual framework for strategic planning for information technology in colleges and universities is offered. The approach focuses on outcomes of the use of technology, especially for improving individual and organizational performance, rather than the technologies themselves. Three domains of technology are considered: infrastructure,…

Increasingly, college and university alumni associations are providing confidential online career services, including access to job listings, opportunities for resume postings, direct access to quality applicants, and bypass conventional advertising and expensive headhunters. For alumni, they expand job networking opportunities and facilitate the…

Six technology-based strategies for colleges and universities to use to address market pressures are described: behavioral research to help the institution build relationships; blind consumer surveys concerning perceptions of the institution; secret shopper research, in which unknown "shoppers" go through the enrollment process, keeping…

Designed for institutional researchers, this handbook provides practical guidelines for the operation of an effective research office. Chapter I defines institutional research and describes tasks a research office may undertake, including strategic planning support, budget development, facilities planning, personnel and staffing analyses,…

Networking technologies offer a better learning environment for college students while allowing cost reductions. Advances in networking can alter limitations of time and space, allowing learning in the same time/same space (traditional class meetings), same time/different place, different time/same place, and different time/different place.…

This article looks at increased use of technology in college instruction, and administration and technology's role in a transformed system in which faculty members become facilitators of student learning and the personalized learning plan is central. Administrative use of computers is described for student systems, business systems, recruiting,…

Twelve suggestions are made for college administrators to make good use of computer technology in individual, faculty-related, campuswide, and external realms. Suggestions include using computer potential in faculty development and motivation, institutional planning and administration, campus communications, public relations, and fund raising.…

A discussion of standardized statewide electronic transcript formats and national standardization of electronic data exchange for college student records looks at implications for tracking transfer students' progress. Relative ease of use of the formats and the information contained in the records are examined, technical requirements are noted,…

A discussion of new technologies and strategies for monitoring college student progress identifies four stages of developing information systems: (1) problem definition and systems specification; (2) data extraction and synthesis; (3) data analysis; and (4) dissemination. Some trends in use of data sources, analysis types, tracking capabilities,…

In 1996 the California State University system implemented a new classification and compensation structure for its information technology professionals. Development of the project, which affected over 1,000 union employees, took five years. The job design model used had two key features, flexibility and skill development. This process, the…

This volume offers a series of papers and essays as a guide to higher education advisors and administrators in the field of education abroad. Papers are organized into three sections which address education abroad in general, advising, and program development and evaluation. The following papers are included: "Being a Professional in the Field of…