The recommendations in this brief create a framework for using data effectively to make instructional decisions. The availability of student-level data for educators has pushed forward the movement to strengthen the role of data to guide instruction and improve student learning. While improvements in technology and assessments, as well as recent…

Defines and discusses competitive intelligence for business decision making and suggests the use of online databases to start looking for relevant information. The best databases to use are described, designing the search strategy is explained, reviewing and editing results are discussed, and the presentation of results is considered. (LRW)

Strategic planning and strategy implementation in colleges and universities are examined and the implications for the design of information systems are discussed. At the University of Vermont it has not been necessary to decentralize access to major databases for strategic planning or strategy implementation purposes. (MLW)

Identifies and describes databases which cover business practice, policy, and principle; government activity; popular interest; and scientific, scholarly, or technical developments and specific information on products, services, and business lines, industries, companies, individuals, and geographic places. Nineteen figures illustrate sample…

National databases are not necessarily useful for specific school district needs. Participating sites in the High Schools that Work program have adapted several data collection procedures from national studies to serve their own information needs and assess the effectiveness of local program changes. (SK)

Perspectives concerning data collection in postsecondary education management and planning are considered. It is suggested that one of the dangers in data collection operations is collecting data without knowing why. It is argued that unless one knows in advance what is being measured and the purposes of measurement, data should not be collected.…

The potential for application of computer skills in legal practice is outlined, the process of planning and equipping a microcomputer laboratory in a law school is discussed, and several experimental programs using computers in the law school classroom are described. (MSE)

This report comprises edited versions of the presentations from the 17 participants in a conference under the sponsoreship of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. The conference was designed to enable policy-makers, educators, and business people to share perspectives on the most effective methods for identifying and collecting data that…

This paper is based on the assumption that in shaping academic strategies for long-range planning purposes, educational institutions must be able to gather adequate information on which to base administrative decisions. Information on how the institution has operated in the past as well as how it is currently operating are critical items for valid…

The multiple role of the government legislator necessitates the constant evaluation of relevant and diverse information for effective decision-making, and requests for direct access of information have resulted in the use of video screen terminals and online computer services. Computerized bibliographic files augment traditional information…

The development of a faculty information system at Carnegie Mellon University is traced using a case study approach. Attention is focused on the process of system design by committee, the resulting relational database, and its impact on institutional research and university reporting. Technical implementation and details of the system design are…

To support informational needs of day-to-day and long-range decision-making, many universities have developed their own data collection devices and institutional reporting systems. Often these models only represent a single point in time and do not effectively support needs at college and departmental levels. This paper identifies some of the more…

The role of institutional research in the creation and operation of an information center is discussed, along with the ways in which the spread of information centers within higher education is likely to influence the future development of institutional research. Forces leading to the emergence of information centers are advances in computer…

Based on a perceived need for the development of a base of information for community education to appraise programs, to properly allocate financial support, and to support the decision making process, this study was conducted to determine the present level of data being collected by selected local education agencies and to determine the perceived…

Problems and processes of establishing a comprehensive data register to serve the Fresno City Unified School District and other local governmental units are discussed as part of PROJECT DESIGN, funded under ESEA Title III. The objective of the report is to examine the present state of data collection and dispersal in the Fresno area and to suggest…