The calls for accountability in higher education have made outcome-based assessment a key accreditation component. Accreditation remains a well-regarded seal of approval on college quality, and requires the programme to set clear, appropriate, and measurable goals and courses to attain them. Furthermore, programmes must demonstrate that…

The development of a student's ability to make data-driven decisions has become a focus in higher education (Schield 1999; Stephenson and Caravello 2007). Data literacy, the ability to understand and use data to effectively inform decisions, is a fundamental component of information competence (Mandinach and Gummer 2013; Stephenson and Caravello,…

This paper identifies some of the main challenges of data governance modelling in the context of learning analytics for higher education institutions, and discusses the critical factors for designing data governance models for learning analytics. It identifies three fundamental common challenges that cut across any learning analytics data…

This Intersegmental Data Partnerships Resource Guide, and the accompanying PACE policy brief (see ED591080), are products of a year-long qualitative research project exploring promising practices in data sharing and data use among intersegmental partnerships throughout California. This Resource Guide provides institutions engaged in intersegmental…

We demonstrate a U-shaped developmental trajectory in the interpretation of scopally ambiguous sentences, with 4-year-olds and adults, but not 5-year-olds, accessing inverse scope. These results argue against any view that treats 5-year-olds failures as resulting from immaturity of a single mechanism. Instead, we propose that this developmental…

This article presents "Diverse Online's" annual analysis of the Top 100 degrees conferred to African-American students. The tables in this edition of the Top 100 analysis reflect degrees conferred during the 2006-2007 academic year as of mid March 2008 by the vast majority of U.S. postsecondary institutions to the Department of Education's…

The purpose of this article is to illuminate one researcher's experience in working with poetic representation while researching participants' perspectives of the transition from high school to college. Two integral points are discussed: (1) making the choice of using alternative representation--letting the data speak, and (2) the flow experience…

What people know about higher education may depend on which data they look at and how they examine them. Responsible analysts should present a full picture of their sources of data and the limitations of those sources, restricting their conclusions to those that the data genuinely warrant. When new research conflicts with previous results, enough…

Provides a basic overview of the concept of cost in higher education and related issues, discusses major consumers of higher education cost data and their perspectives, outlines the major sources of data on higher education costs, and describes some of the major (and perennial) issues related to higher education costs. (EV)

Knowledge use and production is complex and so also are attempts to judge its quality. Research synthesis is a set of formal processes to determine what is known from research in relation to different research questions and this process requires judgements of the quality and relevance of the research evidence considered. Such judgement can be…

In this article, the author argues that American higher education is allowing itself to be held hostage by the rankings industry, which can lead institutions to consider actions harmful to the public interest and encourage the public's infatuation with celebrity at the expense of substance. Instead of sitting quietly by during the upcoming ratings…

Describes a classroom project that allows students to learn the scientific method by going through the entire process of data collection, hypothesis generation, data analysis, and hypothesis testing. This instructional activity concerns "book carrying behavior" and is aimed at introductory anthropology students. (KH)

Suggests communication auditors should be thought of as skilled and committed listeners to and within organizational communication processes. Distinguishes between functionalism and interpretivism in organizational communication. Describes a project based on a collaboration between scholars in sociolinguistics and organizational communication.…

Notes the need for researcher accountability in qualitative analysis, examining strategies used in working with doctoral students and offering suggestions for assessing and publicly disclosing the methodological rigor and analytical defensibility of qualitative research. Introduces tabular strategies for use in documenting the relationship between…

Describes five skills the Transforming School Counseling Initiative believes will equip today's school counselors to become leaders in educational reform and advocates for improving students' academic achievement. Six scenarios, which show how counselors can put these skills into practice, address such issues as teaming and collaboration,…