This paper argues that establishing a research agenda to study the changing nature of postsecondary institutions as organizations is best done by examining their organization-environment interface, and it suggests an agenda based on historical perspective; a contingency model, or framework, of the organization-environment interaction; and a…

Proposes a standard research methodology to help community colleges better measure effectiveness. Recommends gathering demographic, academic, and personal goal data when students enter and exit the college and correlating the data to student performance. Proposes that accrediting agencies adopt the model, citing the advantages of a consistent body…

The purpose of this 3-day conference was to review relevant completed research in industrial arts and to identify priority research areas. It was attended by 15 teacher educators from universities which offer doctoral programs and three representatives from the Center for Vocational and Technical Education. During the opening day, completed…

Discusses the complexity facing South African researchers in higher education as they try to overcome the heritage of the old, fragmented higher education system. Necessary paradigm shifts are identified, as are focus areas for improving the quality of South African higher education research at both national and institutional levels. (DB)

University-based postsecondary research centers are discussed and issues of concern to these researchers are reviewed. A coalition of university researchers is viewed as important for combatting the lack of attention to higher education research. Two models for a coalition are discussed. (SF)

Addresses the need for institutional-level research on minority college student persistence and choice of academic major, discussing the importance and benefits of such research. A two-stage case study illustrates the utility of institutional research. Implications of the campus-based model of the study are discussed. (SLD)

The proceedings of this forum contain 23 papers focusing mainly on the technical aspects of institutional research. Most of the authors are institutional research officers in various colleges and universities. Part 1 contains papers on institutional research methodology. They deal with such topics as faculty load studies, enrollment projections,…

Recent mandates from state and accrediting agencies are requiring community colleges to provide evidence of their success in such areas as basic skills and remediation, general education, major-field content, student development, transfer effectiveness, job training, job placement, and fiscal accountability. This volume, in addition to describing…

Proceedings of the 1979 conference of the North Carolina Association for Institutional Research and the 1980 Research Search Exchange Drive-In Conference Program, which address the skills needed by institutional researchers to deal with the issues in higher education in the 1980s, are presented. Highlights of the North Carolina association…