Learning analytics offers higher education valuable insights that can inform strategic decision-making regarding resource allocation for educational excellence. Research demonstrates that learning management systems (LMSs) can increase student sense of community, support learning communities and enhance student engagement and success, and LMSs…

A budget reduction formula is proposed that relates financial planning to program evaluation, faculty resources, and departmental activity levels. The formula is flexible, can be manipulated to describe each academic unit's intrinsic characteristics, and can redistribute to reflect changing institutional priorities. (Author/MSE)

Two experiences with academic program review illustrating different approaches are described: (1) the recent assessment of research-doctorate programs, conducted by a consortium of four national academic organizations, and (2) the experience of the University of California. (MSE)

While the model of peer evaluation has limits in its use in research resource allocation, it is vital for the equilibrium of the science structure and the university's mission, as evidenced in the University of Quebec at Trois Rivieres's pilot exercise in research evaluation. (Author/MSE)

At Sweden's Karolinska Institute, a resource allocation model for medical research in use since 1970 allows the research activity of the different departments to affect resource allocation direclty. (MSE)

Five strategies for realistic deficit management in the college or university during fiscal stress are examined: (1) comprehensive strategic and operational budget planning; (2) examination of tenure-stream faculty positions; (3) program review and evaluation; (4) self-supporting auxiliary and service units; and (5) increased flexibility in use of…

The University of Michigan Medical School concluded that the traditional budgeting process failed to discriminate adequately among programs. The school developed a new system for managing resources utilizing the principles of zero-base budgeting. The new budget/planning system is described. (Author/MLW)

A multiattribute evaluation model, developed and used for assessing resource allocation decisions in a large college of education, is described. The process involved identifying relevant stakeholders, identifying criteria and measurable attributes, assigning values to criteria and attributes, collecting performance data concerning resource…

A set of standards to help small college advancement managers measure and justify the advancement processes they pursue are provided. The framework includes five sections: institutional commitment, authority and organizational structure, personnel resources, advancement activities and functions, and evaluation. (MLW)

The need for planning in higher education institutions is discussed in light of the financial restrictions imposed by a period of retrenchment. Planning is defined as a systematic assessment of goals and objectives based on available resources and institutional priorities. A planning model is presented and steps of the planning process are…

Institutions increasingly use alumni feedback in such areas as program review, curricular planning, budget allocation, student assessment, services, and recruitment. The Ohio University alumni research program is described. (MLW)

Origins of Australia's university quality improvement program are outlined, and its design is examined. Issues discussed include implications of the program for individual institutions, its proposed method of redistributing research funds, and potential problems associated with performance appraisal. (MSE)

As departmental program review becomes more common in college resource reallocation, department heads will be key figures in decision making. They must know what evaluation criteria will be used, such as program role in institutional mission, enrollment or credit-hour production, job-market demand, external support, program quality, and…

The way that a college can transform its periodic self-study process into an ongoing program is addressed, with a focus on the contribution of the institutional research office. Also considered are data elements that self-studies most often require and the way that data elements relate to judgments and interpretations made through the self-study.…

A project at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, to develop more useful planning and evaluation procedures, to develop a theoretical framework for viewing alternative approaches to university planning, and to conduct case studies of planning and evaluation in several other large universities, is described. The University of Michigan Evaluation…