The relationship between test performance and the size of the class in which instruction occurred was studied at Brigham Young University. The classes prepared students for examinations to meet general education graduation requirements. All test scores from 318 sections representing 27 courses from the fall semester, 1980 were analyzed. Section…

Differences in grades received by students in different sections of the same college course were evaluated at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in fall 1983 and compared to spring 1983 findings. After determining grades for each section of a particular course, the chi-square test for "k" independent samples was applied to the data to…

A survey was conducted of a college faculty of 253 to assess faculty attitudes toward governance, teaching, curriculum and students. A modified, abbreviated form of the Carnegie Foundation Faculty Survey was developed. The response rate was 67%. Results included the following: (1) 67% indicated that their writing had been published, or their…

The use of Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) data and a software program to compare public university expenditures is discussed. Financial expenditures at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, (UNC) and other public universities were compared using 1981-1982 and 1982-1983 HEGIS data for public university members of the…

This paper reports on the development and testing of a system dynamics model of the departmental deployment of instructional resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A model was developed using the Stella II computer software package. The model describes describes how departments keep student enrollments, number of course sections, and…

A variety of departmental and student outcomes data was obtained and analyzed from faculty and graduating seniors in 27 academic departments located at a university classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Research II institution. The purpose of the study was to determine: (1) whether strong research orientation by an academic department…

Unpredicted ways in which the use of computers has affected social interactions in colleges and universities are considered. Information was gathered from a literature review and from personal observations. One outcome of introducing computers into an academic or administrative unit is the development of alliances depending on prior experience…

This paper examines the role played by an office of institutional research in developing a new student evaluation of teaching protocol. At Southeastern Louisiana University, a comprehensive 4-year public institution, the administration appointed a campus-wide committee to study the student evaluations of teaching and to make recommendations for…

The primary purpose of the Eastern Iowa Community College District (EICCD) Program Evaluation Process is to ensure curricular relevance, instructional quality and the effective and efficient use of resources. Developed and pilot-tested on 38 vocational-technical programs, the model is being utilized by more than 120 technical and community…

Drawing from the experiences of Lansing Community College (LCC), this paper offers a rationale and model for measuring instructional quality. Section I offers background on LCC's efforts to assess the quality of its courses and curricula, and to introduce such quality assurance procedures as computer-based course syllabi, department and program…

The University of Notre Dame developed the Teaching Activity Report in an effort to present professors with meaningful summaries of their individual instructional efforts each semester. Geared to meet the needs of the individual instructors and their superiors, the Teaching Activity Report synthesizes all facets of the individual's instructional…

A computer application at Eastern Montana College provides individual and grouped instructional faculty load data. The mainframe-generated reports support department heads and administrators in decision-making concerning staffing, merit awards, equity, accountability, planning, and productivity. The reports are best suited to colleges that…

This paper explores the concept of benchmarking in institutional research, a comparative analysis methodology designed to help colleges and universities increase their educational quality and delivery systems. The primary purpose of benchmarking is to compare an institution to its competitors in order to improve the product (in this case…

Key concepts from theory and research on student learning are discussed, and a conceptual framework to promote the design of local instructional improvement efforts is presented. The objective is to advocate that institutional researchers focus more directly on the basic issues of teaching and learning and to suggest that improving instructional…

The Student as Learner Inventory, which was developed at Alverno College (Wisconsin), is described. Alverno College is a private, 4-year liberal arts college for women with an enrollment of 2,500 students. The inventory, which is completed by entering and second semester students in an undergraduate program, is integral to the curriculum. The…