The University of Miami (UM) in Florida established and continues to use a monthly Key Success Index (KSI) report for ongoing self-evaluation. At UM the KSI is a five-page document focusing on the current year-to-date amount for each key success indicator and how it differs from the previous year's amount. It includes monthly data for the current…

The movement most likely to affect institutional research in the immediate future is implementation of outcomes assessment across the country. This represents a substantive and apparently permanent addition to the inventory of services provided to the higher education community by institutional research. (MSE)

Trends in higher education performance assessment are examined, and implications for college planners are considered. Issues discussed include the origins of the trends, areas of assessment focus (student measures, interinstitutional comparison, accountability), and general considerations in approaching assessment. Planners are encouraged to take…

Outlines ten principles important for the successful practice of outcomes assessment, based on the experience of a variety of institutions. Notes several salient barriers to success (lack of faculty support, changes in institutional leadership and circumstances, limitations in assessment tools and methods, insufficient student involvement,…

Graduate education is entering an era of market segmentation, varying student demand, and changing requirements from employers, meaning graduate students will assess graduate opportunities differently and institutions will assess programs differently. The traditional view of graduate study as preparation for a research or teaching career and…

Gives an overview of the Ball State University (Indiana) academic assessment program, from its origins through present and future efforts. Several current assessment activities are described--university-wide, in general education, and discipline-specific. Areas of strength in the program and challenges to conducting successful assessment are…

Assessment can have a profound transformational impact on a college or university, but for this to occur, such core values as improvement of student learning through collection of performance-related data must be integrated into the institutional culture. At Truman State University (Missouri), an initially modest commitment to improving student…

Principles for college outcomes assessment, as outlined in the literature, are reviewed. Drawing on the experience of the Virginia State Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) during a decade of state-mandated outcomes assessment, a number of salient issues are identified. Faculty and academic issues include these: faculty…

Accurate enrollment forecasts are a prerequisite for reliable budget projections. This is because tuition payments make up a significant portion of a university's revenue, and anticipated revenue is the immediate constraint on current operating expenditures. Accurate forecasts are even more critical to revenue projections when a university's…

Recent applications of the strategic planning approach in colleges and universities and techniques necessary for its application are reviewed. In addition, the intellectual roots of strategic planning are traced, and strategic planning is defined and contrasted with long-range planning. It is suggested that strategic planning addresses the total…