West German use of performance indicators in higher education administration was studied in terms of differences between politically expressed intentions and actual application of the measures in institutional planning. Resource allocations was examined as one area of divergent developments. (MSE)

Advanced communication and computing technologies create new resources and new opportunities in expanded role relationships for institutional research. Approaches to impact analysis and the rates of future change are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Computer-based information systems have evolved from emphasizing data processing to providing full and flexible support for management. They have moved from providing mere data to providing a medium for representing knowledge wherein managers can analyze data, formulate ideas, structure arguments, and building models. (Author/MLW)

Seven institutional research maxims based on research and theory about how people cognitively process information are discussed: more may not be better; augment humans with models; chunk data wisely; know decision-makers; heuristics are not always helpful; arrange tables by patterns; and accept negative evidence and new hypotheses. (Author/MLW)

An important part of strategic or long-range planning is assessing the environment external to the institution. Many statistics are already compiled by external agencies. Some sources of information are identified, an assessment classification procedures is presented, and a sample of excerpts of the results of an assessment is provided. (MLW)

The nature and form of useful management information in a variety of situations is discussed. It is suggested that questions posed by managers may determine the effectiveness of the management information system. Questions concerning demographic trends and enrollment declines are used to illustrate this point. (SF)

An economic model for evaluating the cost performance of academic and administrative programs in higher education is described. Examples from its application at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis are used to illustrate how the model has been used to control costs and reengineer processes. (Author/MSE)

A methodology for developing a strategic, long-range organizational information architecture is described. The development of a plan to identify key categories of information to enhance decision making and operational productivity is detailed. Figures and tables detail the methodology's application at the University of Minnesota. (DB)

Presents the research model used in the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District, which operates through a part-time institutional researcher guided by an institutional research committee. Discusses the committee's role and the use of research results in policymaking and other areas. Provides examples of research. (DMM)

A public relations model provided the basis for the five-step ROPES college fund-raising model: (1) research on the institution, the funding opportunity, and the publics targeted; (2) objective setting for both office output and program impact; (3) programming to meet those objectives; (4) evaluation of the effectiveness, not just efficiency, of…

This paper describes an enrollment forecasting model that was developed in 1988 by the Office of Institutional Research for a small, private, liberal arts college (Wesley College, Delaware). The college, shifting in demographics from its historical junior college mission to that of a comprehensive baccalaureate institution, required a forecasting…

The academic decision-making model at John Abbott College in Quebec was evaluated, based on interviews with faculty, mid-level managers, and administrators. Interview responses indicated a need for better understanding of the procedural and communication lines of the decision-making process. A general belief existed that academic decisions were…

Possible impacts of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) criterion, Section III, Institutional Effectiveness, are considered. The way that one state university is approaching the new SACS' expectation on institutional effectiveness is examined. Attention is directed to: an effectiveness process model developed by a self-study…

Faculty beliefs about educational purpose and the nature of their academic field strongly influence how they plan introductory courses. Significantly different conceptions of educational purpose among faculty in different fields may inhibit agreement on plans for curricular coherence and ways of communicating expectations to students. Interviews…

A model of an evaluation process for a college level mathematics course using management procedures is described. It is suggested that by designing the evaluation process as part of a management procedure, data useful for making policy decisions will be generated and the success of the instructional process will be insured. The foundation of the…