A pilot survey of institutional research and planning (IR/P) functions at 78 U.S. colleges and universities yielded data on common and diverse tasks, products, and services; broad staffing and related operating expense requirements for these tasks, products, and services; and specific staff "person days" required to perform/achieve each…

This study sought to provide an up-to-date picture of the substantial dividend of jobs and income which Georgia State University provides to the Atlanta area. The study proceeded in six phases: (1) collection of direct university enrollment, payroll, and spending data; (2) survey and estimation of student spending; (3) survey and estimation of…

This paper compares the process and structure of institutional research with three ways of conceptualizing science. The first section examines the scientific method as a process of disciplined inquiry, then compares institutional research to that process. The second section compares the logical structure of institutional research with the logical…

Problems associated with determining attrition rates and causes of attrition in the Regents External Degree Program of the University of the State of New York were studied. Students were defined as having dropped out of the program if they had not paid their annual records fee (registration fee). Data are provided to compare attrition figures to…

A pilot project designed to link more effectively instructional improvement to student evaluation was undertaken at The University of Missouri at Kansas City. Attention was focused on graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in seven academic units. Students rated their GTA instructors, and interpretations of the evaluation results were provided to a…

As guidelines for research assessing institutional effects, three general principles are outlined (establishing realistic expectations, information as opposed to data, institutional research as institutional provocation) and recommendations made: focus on meaningful academic units, relate goals to outcomes, involve faculty, regard measures as…

Three statistical techniques--conjoint analysis, a multiple linear regression model, and a multiple linear regression model with a surrogate person variable--were used to estimate the relative importance of five university attributes for students in the process of selecting a college. The five attributes include: availability and variety of…

A comprehensive profile of the Division of Continuing Education (DCE) undergraduate students enrolled in credit courses at Massachusetts public colleges and universities is presented. Information is included in the categories of: overall profile of DCE students; profile of university DCE students; profile of state college DCE students; profile of…

The purposes and nature of institutional research are described as well as its role in institutional governance and of the contributions it can make to the functioning of postsecondary institutions. The first section in the booklet discusses the nature and purposes of institutional research by describing several forms of research and comparing and…

The study described in this report was designed to determine student enrollment trends and the service area of Arizona's Phoenix College (PC). Headcount and full-time student equivalent (FTSE) data were collected for fall semesters from 1985 through 1989. The average yearly change in enrollments was calculated and presented in table and graph…

The history of assessment in American higher education is examined, with a focus on the period after World War II. Assessment practices in the early years of higher education are also discussed. Assessment studies concentrated on either the college, the curriculum, or students. Questions that have been investigated by specific assessment studies…

Results of a survey of student perceptions of drugs and drug use that was conducted at Bowie State College are presented. Studies that have been conducted on college students' use of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine in the last five years are reviewed, along with additional studies relating to the general population and the following drugs:…

Use of computers at Brown University and attitudes toward computing were investigated in 1984. Major areas of interest were: frequency of weekly computer use, past experience using computers, when respondents first used a computer, their gender, student status, years at the university, major, and parental and familial influences on computer use.…

The influence of financial aid on college student persistence was studied using causal modeling. The study population was 227 full-time freshmen, who enrolled in fall 1982 at a liberal arts college at a large commuter institution. All the students received financial aid. The model, which included background and academic variables, accounted for…

Ohio University's impact assessment program is described, with emphasis on the use of long-term (5- and 10-year) alumni outcomes in complementing value-added and academic/social integration information. The university has integrated its alumni studies into its institutional impact project and has focused on both university-wide and…