As we become increasingly acquainted with the rich opportunities that analytics systems can provide, there is a commensurate need to consider the extent to which analytics tools are effectively integrated, with proper training, into the day-to-day functioning of higher education professionals. This chapter explores the extent to which predictive…

This chapter will value of including diverse voices of researchers. An innovative, cost-effective model for assessment will be described, capturing the process implemented at a university in its efforts to center social justice within assessment and evaluation research practices.

This chapter discusses methods and measures that are needed to conduct research on newly developing Applied Baccalaureate degrees that enable students to transfer applied college credits heretofore considered terminal to bachelor's degree programs.

This chapter discusses the evolution of the critical quantitative paradigm with an emphasis on extending this approach to new populations and new methods. Along with this extension of critical quantitative work, however, come continued challenges and tensions for researchers. This chapter recaps and responds to each chapter in the volume, and…

This chapter provides examples of innovative methods and tools to collect, analyze, and report both quantitative and qualitative data in student affairs assessment.

"Intersectionality" can be defined as the "relationships among multiple social dimensions and modalities of social relations and subject formations." In simpler terms, it can be defined as the processes through which multiple social identities converge and ultimately shape individual and group experiences. In this article, the authors discuss the…

In this article, the authors discuss the utility of combining quantitative and qualitative methods in conducting intersectional analyses. First, they discuss some of the paradigmatic underpinnings of qualitative and quantitative research, and how these methods can be used in intersectional analyses. They then consider how paradigmatic pragmatism…

Multilevel modeling provides several advantages over traditional ordinary least squares regression analysis; however, reporting results to stakeholders can be challenging. This article suggests some strategies for presenting complex, multilevel data and statistical results to institutional and higher education decision makers. The article is…

In this article, the authors offer a brief discussion of the challenges posed by traditional approaches and the need for race- and culture-specific methods in the study of Asian American administrators. The authors discuss a research project, conducted by the first author, that focused on exploring the experiences of Asian American senior…

The value of qualitative assessment approaches has been underestimated primarily because they are often juxtaposed against long-standing quantitative traditions and the widely accepted premise that the best research produces generalizable and statistically significant findings. Institutional researchers avoid qualitative methods for at least three…

Statistical analysis must be approached rationally and with intent. The application of statistical analysis under the guise of the classical experimental paradigm when the underlying statistical assumptions are not met, as is often the case in institutional research, is neither efficient nor likely to produce useful results. (Author/MSE)

Summarizes characteristics of the higher education landscape and provides an overview of considerations of common interest to institutional researchers at colleges and universities serving diverse populations. (EV)

This chapter serves as a guide for quantitative researchers who seek to approach their research questions critically.

Employing a critical-empirical approach to the study of college access, the author explores the role of policy researchers in seeking educational equity. (Contains 2 tables.)

A systematic exploratory technique used primarily in the commercial sector to successfully identify market segments can be applied by an educational institution to a group of inquirers to learn more about its image and distinguish between distinct market subgroups that merit differentiated communication and program development strategies. (MSE)