This article defines institutional research, names several areas in which research is vital to junior college operations, provides guidelines for institutional research, and includes a selective bibliography on institutional research. (JC)

Junior college self-appraisal techniques should involve research and should be conducted within the academic, vocational, and adult education programs of the college. This report considers appraisal of specific areas, such as admissions, counseling and student personnel services, placement in classes, and program planning and evaluation. Sixteen…

An anonymous survey of 70% (N=21) of Harcum Junior College's full-time faculty was conducted in the fall of 1976 in order to ascertain self-reported levels of anxiety and sources of anxiety among the faculty. Results indicated that 7.4% of the faculty felt a great deal of anxiety, 9.4% a considerable amount, 20.7% felt some, 21.1% felt little, and…

Answers to a 19-item questionnaire by 102 graduates of Harcum Junior College in 1974, evaluating the programs of the college, are provided in this report. The questionnaire data showed that the college was rated by these graduates as offering "quality" educational opportunities. (DB)

Although many agree that institutional research in higher education has come of age and is accepted as a part of institutional management, great variations exist in the extent to which institutional research findings are synthesized and utilized in management decision-making. A number of reasons can be identified as accounting for this phenomenon,…

Institutional research studies at Harcum Junior College (Pennsylvania) include alumnae comments and achievements, student academic achievement, curriculum and college characteristics, student characteristics, and student views. The author emphasizes the importance of hiring faculty on the basis of teaching ability as well as research achievements.…

In the midst of insistent demands for accountability, self-analysis by all educational institutions has become an urgent necessity. Long-range, comprehensive planning is an essential prerequisite for coping effectively with the rapid changes taking place in education, and institutional research is an essential element in such planning. For an…

By helping to concentrate the efforts of all organizational units on institutional goals, by establishing research-based information systems, and by learning to allocate scarce resources efficiently, institutional researchers can offer numerous benefits for the management and operation of 2-year colleges. A comprehensive institutional research…

Four studies conducted at Harcum College (Pennsylvania) in fall 1969 were presented. From a survey to determine students' reasons for attending Harcum, it was concluded that substantial numbers of students view their college education as a means of acquiring future direct, material rewards. A study on student attrition demonstrated the variety and…

A study was conducted at Harcum Junior College in order to ascertain what modes of learning students preferred and to determine which of these learning modes afforded the students the most enjoyment. A survey was distributed to the student body; a 50% rate of response was achieved. Results indicated that students felt they learned most from class…

In order to assess the attitudes of Harcum Junior College students in regard to education in general, the school curriculum, school resources, and school counseling, a questionnaire was administered to all Harcum students in the fall of 1975, with 258 anonymous respondents. Since respondents were enrolled in all programs except the pre-pharmacy…

Reliable institutional research is seen as serving as a valuable means of generating accurate, objective data useful in reaching sound management decisions in institutions of higher education. Institutional research is defined as the systematic, comprehensive self-study used by a college or university to improve the institution. Sound…

This document is a compilation of 27 institutional research reports issued by Harcum Junior College (Pennsylvania) during the calendar year 1974. The reports, designed to assess existing college goals and practices as well as to provide suggestions for new programs, reflect some of the current concerns of private, women's two-year colleges:…

The 31 documents included in this compilation of Harcum Junior College institutional research inquiries are designed to assess existing college goals and practices and provide suggestions for new programs. The documents, grouped under eight subject rubrics, reflect some of the current concerns of private women's two-year colleges: (1) alumnae…

Data from six questionnaire studies are reported. "Reasons Why Harcum Is Recommended," gives the percentage of Harcum students and faculty, and of high school counselors who recommend Harcum for each of ten reasons on the questionnaire. In "The Students View Harcum," student responses to ten possible reasons for attending, to…