Colleges have access to more data than ever before, and to unlock its full potential, the right culture, processes, and technologies are needed. Given the pressures now facing campuses, the demand for evidence-based approaches to strategy have intensified. As a result, more attention has been placed on the importance of the relationship between…

A participatory framework in conducting research and implementing decisions can engage multiple constituents throughout a college community. At a small college, it is especially relevant, because nonmajority groups are especially vulnerable because of a smaller critical mass.

Surveys and benchmarks continue to grow in importance for community colleges in response to several factors. One is the press for accountability, that is, for colleges to report the outcomes of their programs and services to demonstrate their quality and prudent use of resources, primarily to external constituents and governing boards at the state…

The U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in 2003 in the affirmative action cases of "Gratz v. Bollinger" (2003) and "Grutter v. Bollinger" (2003), sometimes referred to as the "Michigan cases," provided the first indication of the role that race-conscious admission policies will play in higher education in the new century since the Court's decision…

Most assessment arguments are about measurement. When is it better to use direct versus indirect measures of student learning? Is one standardized test of critical thinking better than another? Is applying rubrics to student work better than using standardized tests? How valid are self-reported measures of learning? Although these arguments are…

Action research involves researchers and practitioners in collaborative projects and provides a means of integrating evaluation into the reform process. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Evaluates the success of the Cornell Tradition Program, designed to encourage current undergraduate aid recipients to give back to the university after graduation. Results indicate institutional efforts can have a positive impact on the long-term giving behavior of alumni. The Input-Commitment-Environment-Output model used shows promise as a tool…

A review of some alumni research conducted at Stanford University (California) and the ways the findings have been used indicates the range of development and alumni-relations issues for which market research can be valuable. It also demonstrates the value of ongoing, rather than occasional, research. (Author/MSE)

Some ways in which research on student financial aid can be conducted and used to further institutional goals and objectives are presented. Four topics for inclusion in an institution's research agenda are suggested: recruiting, measuring the aid program's effectiveness, expanding aid resources, and analyzing family financial capacity. (Author/MSE)

Review of literature concerning the use of program review in higher education lists sources discussing the review process, focusing on the links between program review and other institutional processes, and addressing application of program review principles and practices to different higher education settings. Critical factors for successful use…

This chapter addresses the opportunities and challenges of using alumni research in Spain.

This chapter describes how an action research framework facilitates using evaluation and assessment results to improve programs and demonstrate institutional effectiveness. (Contains 1 table.)

There is a need for cross-disciplinary or cross-institutional research on student learning outcomes in graduate and professional education. Challenges in this endeavor include determining the purposes of assessment and who conducts it, identifying and defining outcomes, and managing the use of results. (MSE)

Environmental scanning, enrollment forecasting, budget analyses, and institutional effectiveness assessment are examples of the explicit contributions institutional research offices make to campus strategic planning.

State and federal policy makers need more and better information growing out of faculty research, but because of the different arenas in which academics and politicians operate, the timing, simplicity, and channels by which research results are communicated are critically important in bridging the gap. (MSE)