Reports on a study to examine the hidden processes underlying the underrepresentation of women and minority ethnic groups in the academic profession. Identifies the importance of subject communities and their implicit values and assumptions. Illustrates the importance of judgments of academic merit at the very earliest stages of careers for racial…

A survey of the educational outcomes of master's programs in social work (64 responses) found that knowledge acquisition is generally evaluated course-by-course, with traditional methods; qualifying examinations for advanced study are not common; and only a third of institutions conduct comprehensive examinations. Accountability implications are…

This study compared 4,594 student responses from three different surveys of incoming students at the University of South Florida (USF) with data from Florida's State University System (SUS) admissions files to determine what proportion of error occurs in the survey responses. Specifically, the study investigated the amount of measurement error in…

This paper reviews two areas of limitations concerning college outcome assessments and argues that while cognitive outcomes may be effectively measured during the students' academic careers, the perceptions of alumni are a necessary component of the assessment of affective outcomes. The limitations that are addressed concern first, determining…

Institutional research at the University of California at Berkeley on graduate student attrition is discussed, focusing on when students in a given discipline are likely to leave a program and factors to which departments attribute attrition. Recommendations for increasing retention are offered, including institutional policies and strategies,…

Two studies illustrate how omitting faculty rank as a predictor variable from gender equity studies of faculty salaries can lead to incorrect conclusions about gender discrimination. One uses hypothetical data constructed so there is no gender difference in salary, but omission of academic rank skews the results. The second uses data from a…

Contends that, since the mid-1980s, many British schools in predominantly white areas have taken active steps to counter racism and ethnocentrism. Examines the ethical issues of researching such initiatives at the primary school level. Looks at curriculum development work in antiracist and multicultural education in "all white" schools.…

A consultant can help enhance the quality of dental faculty and student research by offering statistics courses, helping with project conceptualization, obtaining funding, collaborating during an investigation, providing data analysis, and preparing grant reports and manuscripts. An American Association of Dental Schools publications mentoring…

Student satisfaction surveys assess satisfaction with various facets of the university and includes key sets of questions on programs and services, university learning and social environment, university mission and values, educational preparation, transfer intent, general satisfaction, attitudes toward coursework, and student demographic…

This paper identifies two broad types of "critical" ethnographic research. One type attempts to empower social actors by providing emic-oriented accounts which tend to emphasize the integrity of their constructs, thus laying the groundwork for a redistribution of social power. The other type attempts to combine analysis of phenomenal, micro-level…

This guide is intended to assist states and service delivery areas (SDAs) in addressing the new oversight responsibilities and opportunities stipulated by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with respect to net impact evaluations. It is divided into two main parts. The first part, which deals with issues in evaluating costs and benefits,…

Two data-gathering instruments, the Supervisory Behavior Description Questionnaire (SBDQ) and the derivative Supervising Teacher Behavior Description Questionnaire (STBDQ), are described in one paper and employed in three others in this symposium series. Both forms are useful in evaluating perceived behaviors of supervisory educational personnel,…

Two previous papers of the Learning in Science Project recorded the thinking of the project team at the outset of the exploratory and in-depth phases of the project. This paper briefly reconsiders the work done in the in-depth phase and then discusses some central issues and tentative ideas as the project moves into the third and final…

Six papers dealing with decision support and knowledge based systems are presented. Five of the papers are concerned in some way with the use of artificial intelligence techniques in individual or group decision support. The sixth paper presents empirical results from the use of a group decision support system. (CLB)

The evolution of the student tracking system at Amarillo College, a Texas community college, is chronicled for three stages: (1) early efforts; (2) participation in the development of a consortium-based longitudinal student tracking project beginning in 1986; and (3) more recent developments. Tools and techniques used at each stage are discussed…