Institutional researchers might know more about non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty than leaders on many college campuses, particularly four-year institutions and research universities (Cross and Goldenberg, 2009). As such, institutional researchers play an important role in educating campus leaders about this growing segment of the academic workforce.…

It is a historically held principle of microeconomics that in the presence of better information, consumers make better decisions. This chapter focuses on information to guide consumers in making decisions about higher education. It examines the development and implementation of a one-stop career and college planning tool that leverages existing…

Describes evolution of fact books at the University of Southern Mississippi, highlighting strategies for maintaining and enhancing its utility to users. Issues discussed include four audience considerations (context, customer, distribution, readability for middle-aged readers), format (fact sheet, pamphlet, pocket book, electronic fact book,…

The effective communication of desired information between the generator and the user requires one to accommodate variances in decision-making style, behavior, and context. The premise that decision making in organizations follows the classic rational model is discussed. (Author/MLW)

Individual interest in privacy is a multiple legal issue, roughly divided into four parts according to different types of law: constitutional, statutory, administrative, and common law. Policy implications of this issue for institutions are discussed. (Editor/LBH)

The forces and pressures affecting offices of institutional research in today's higher education institutions are examined. It is suggested that the heterogeneity of these institutions will produce institutional research offices that differ in their organizational locations, roles, and responsibilities. (Author/SF)

Problems of the college or university that center around the people who use the institution's computers are examined. It is suggested that effective use of computers in higher education depends on how well the users and providers understand the constraints and problems of each information system. (Author/SF)

Offers guidelines for developing a general-purpose fact book for an individual college or university, including: initial considerations of purpose, context for publication, issue orientation, and organization; content issues; inclusion of adequate information on all major topics addressed; and logistical or presentation considerations. (MSE)

A strategy is proposed for using student assessment to support the role of colleges and universities as learning-centered communities. It reframes the practice of formal, internal academic program review to focus on student learning and provides examples of data needed to support this process, some generated by the institutional researcher and…

Ensuring the integrity of the intercollegiate athletics program is a fundamental responsibility of the college president. The institutional research professional should lead in designing, coordinating, and maintaining an athletics information support system, and support staff should conduct analyses and prepare special reports as needed to shape…

Administrative computing in higher education and its implications for the management of colleges and universities are explored. The evolution of administrative computing is traced from the use of minicomputers to the implementation of a management information system. (Author/SF)

While the electronic fact book will not replace the paper variety used by colleges and universities to disseminate institutional information, there are a number of uses for the electronic format, which accommodates both quantity and currency of information. Considerations in producing an electronic fact book are discussed, and a seven-day process…

The college or university fact book may be the single most important document it publishes, indicating that the institution is open to scrutiny by its many constituents, providing data concerning institutional mission and effectiveness, providing a basis for internal and external evaluation, and reflecting the institution's success or failure in…

Five categories of student outcomes in graduate and professional education are identified: timely degree completion; knowledge of the discipline; preparedness for professional practice; preparation for research and inquiry; preparation for teaching. A framework for assessing each is offered and various methods for collecting data on student…

The study of academics and athletics presents several methodological problems. Athletics research requires knowledge of numerous definitions and an understanding of the political environment in which sports operate, as revealed by an analysis of several models for calculating graduation rates, because these issues shape research outcomes.…