"Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research" ("COEUR") is based on the collective experience, over many years, of Council on Undergraduate Research members who have engaged undergraduate students in research, developed undergraduate research programs, mentored new faculty to include undergraduate research in their…

Background: This article serves as a conclusion to a TCR special issue devoted to understanding the impact of the Spencer Foundation's Research Training Grant (RTG) initiative. We examine four case reports prepared by scholars at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California at Los Angeles…

Background/Context: In the early 1990s, the Spencer Foundation instituted an Institutional Research Training Grant (RTG) program to improve the preparation of the next generation of education researchers. UCLA received an RTG in the first round of competition. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: UCLA's Spencer RTG program sought to…

This chapter describes several examples of institutional use of state- and college-level tracking data to benchmark performance, improve student success, and enhance program effectiveness.

Local Government Employers (LGE) was created by the Local Government Association (LGA) in April 2006. The aim of LGE is to work with local authorities, regional employers and other bodies to lead and create solutions on pay, pensions and the employment contract, to ensure the provision of excellent and affordable local services. The LGE…

This chapter describes the National Student Clearinghouse and discusses opportunities and challenges for tracking community college students. It also presents a system perspective on using clearinghouse data to promote more comprehensive student and graduate tracking. (Contains 2 tables.)

This chapter examines lessons learned by states that are using student unit record (SUR) data to improve outcomes for community college students and recommends steps states can take to strengthen their use of SUR databases to benefit students and communities. (Contains 1 exhibit.)

Author details 6 new self-study approaches that focus on current problems and opportunities and that could mean the survival ofan institution. (HS)

An investigation was made of research and development needs among various academic and administrative divisions in New York City Community College. Although the primary aim of the investigation was to obtain information related to current research needs in the college, the study was also designed to accumulate information pertaining to the…

ALTHOUGH COMMUNITY JUNIOR COLLEGES ARE PRIMARY LABORATORIES OF FORMAL HUMAN LEARNING, THERE IS A SURPRISING SCARCITY OF STUDIES OF THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS. LITERATURE AVAILABLE IN THE CLEARINGHOUSE FOR JUNIOR COLLEGE INFORMATION INCLUDES DESCRIPTIONS OF INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESSES AND OF INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES, BUT LITTLE INFORMATION IS…

Developed to help colleges enhance the effectiveness of their institutional research efforts, this workbook provides strategies for increasing effectiveness and examples of techniques and research from Maryland's Prince George's Community College (PGCC). First, an introduction summarizes the changing responsibilities of institutional research and…

This study demonstrates how an institutional research process focused on Ph.D. students contributed to programmatic changes that increased the effectiveness of the program for part-time, adult graduate learners. From 1985-92 faculty in an adult and vocational education doctoral program gathered feedback from students on challenges regarding…

As a follow-up to 1985 and 1991 efforts to determine its own effectiveness in providing useful information to the college community, the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) at Florida's Miami-Dade Community College conducted a self-evaluation in 1994. Questionnaires were mailed to 296 department chairs, Board members, and other professionals…

Behaviour and Education Support Teams (BESTs) are multi-agency teams, which bring together a range of professionals, working to support schools, families and children (aged 5 to 18) who present or are at risk of developing emotional, behavioural and/or attendance problems. Teams include professionals from the fields of education, social care,…

The article presents the research on study quality state at three Lithuanian universities. The research was performed during the spring semester in 2003. Research participants were 669 students, 227 teachers, 126 administration officers and 359 graduates. The outcomes of the research did not aim at revealing the state of study quality in a…