This chapter shows how institutional researchers can make use of geographic information systems (GIS) to improve the quality of their surveys and extract more information from their results. GIS can contribute to at least three stages of the survey process: (1) survey design (through a better understanding of the population being surveyed); (2)…

This chapter describes techniques and projects that most institutions need if they are to be viable in an increasingly competitive labor market. The authors assert that institutional researchers who increase their involvement in workforce development initiatives can become more valuable to their institution.

This chapter serves as a guide for quantitative researchers who seek to approach their research questions critically.

Presents a model of institutional research as comprising three tiers of organizational intelligence: (1) technical/analytical intelligence, (2) issues intelligence, and (3) contextual intelligence. The model suggests that institutional researchers need different kinds of knowledge and skills to fulfill their many roles and tasks. (DB)

The Ethical Analysis Protocol is a set of questions on treatment of participants, research practices, and sociopolitical dimensions of research that can be used to elicit information about ethical assumptions, constraints, and implications of institutional research studies. They provide a framework for ethical analysis of an institutional research…

Reports on national surveys of members of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) to identify characteristics of institutional researchers in terms of three questions: (1) "Who are we?"; (2) "Where do we work?"; and (3) "What do we do?" Includes tables listing AIR members' election of topics of high…

The history of institutional research is examined with specific reference to its promotion and organization during the last twenty-five years. It is suggested that institutional research now has all the elements necessary for its continuation and has become an established part of higher education. (Author/SF)

Academic administrators are beginning to ask sophisticated questions about the effects of student aid on their institutions. The importance of the research has drawn attention from many sources, and suggests that collaboration between institutional researchers and financial aid officers has great promise. (Author/MSE)

A member of the Association for Institutional Research's Committee on Standards and Ethics Research reflects on the recently drafted code of ethics for the profession and suggests means to support practitioners and gain acceptance for the code. It is concluded that sanctions are not practical at present. (Author/MSE)

Workshop activities designed for the professional development of institutional researchers are described. It is suggested that a properly structured training session incorporates theory and experience and presents it in a format appropriate for the busy professional. (Author/SF)

Without feasible integration strategies, the institutional researcher and decision maker remain isolated from each other, to the ultimate disadvantage of the higher education institution. Practical and achievable strategies for the researcher include knowledge of the institutional climate and norms, developing communication skills, and practicing…

The key to the success of decision support systems will be the way that institutional researchers integrate the variety of specific and personal systems into a viable and coordinated institutionwide system. (Author/MLW)

The history of institutional research is discussed; present and future professional development needs are examined. It is suggested that future professional development activities help institutional researchers cope with an expanded, politicized, and decreasingly technical role. (Author/SF)

The nature of the legislative environment is discussed and observations are made about how institutional researchers can influence lawmaking outcomes. (Author/SF)

The nature of institutional research in small, private colleges is examined. It is suggested that institutional researchers in small colleges are responsible for their own professional development and must generate their own plans and learning situations. (Author/SF)