Presents 10 citations and abstracts for documents from the ERIC Clearinghouse for Junior Colleges collection dealing with employer needs assessments and their relation to program planning. (CAM)

Cites and provides annotations for eight documents and five journal articles from the ERIC collection dealing with institutional research in the two-year college. (AYC)

Provides references to ERIC documents dealing with marketing community colleges. Covers the purpose of marketing, planning, and implementing marketing programs, the extent to which marketing is being used, descriptions of programs and activities at individual institutions, and the role of institutional research in support marketing. (DD)

Provides citations and abstracts for ERIC documents describing employer needs assessment studies. (AYC)

Reviews ERIC documents considering the economic benefits of community colleges on their communities; the effects of college programs on the various individuals and communities served; and the effects of community college attendance on the careers, earnings, and educational attainment of students. Provides a bibliography of impact and follow-up…

Accountability has been a developing issue for community colleges for the past several years. Demands that two-year colleges provide evidence of the achievement of their goals has placed a heavy burden on institutional research offices. A number of organizational models have been used by community colleges in carrying out the research function,…

Community colleges generally conduct little research. Further, there is no generally accepted national research agenda for community colleges, no consistently funded national agency charged with studying the institutions as unique entities, and few educational researchers directing their attention toward them. The research that is undertaken on…

As the entering-college population dwindles and competition to attract this population increases among colleges, student retention has become a primary concern for community colleges. Assessing the extent of the dropout problem is particularly problematic for community colleges, as they are institutions geared to the facilitation of ease of…

The essays in this collection examine the outcomes or benefits of community colleges with respect to specific constituencies; discuss the impact of the policies, programs, and needs of external agencies on the colleges; and consider methods by which educational outcomes can be improved and measured within the institutional setting. After…

Reviews the literature in the ERIC collection regarding the role of institutional research in the community college planning process. Addresses comprehensive and master planning, budgeting, program planning and evaluation, student follow-up, student information systems, and computer support. (DD)

This collection of essays by current or former directors of institutional research represents the broad spectrum of size, function, and geography within institutional research in the two-year college. The volume contains: (1) "The Role of Institutional Research in Evaluation of Nontraditional Programs: College Preparatory Analysis at Miami-Dade…

Intended as a forum for the discussion of postsecondary accreditation, this book addresses pragmatic issues such as constituent satisfaction, cost, and redundant efforts, as well as such strategic concerns as accreditation's potential to provide leadership in the areas of transfer, articulation, and general education. The following 10 chapters are…

Within the last few years, American schools have moved toward routinely measuring the outcomes of their educational programs. Two national associations dealing with community colleges have also developed quantitative indicators to assess outcomes for two-year colleges. There are still colleges that make only minimal efforts at assessment, citing…

This literature review examines the utilization of community needs assessment data in program planning and evaluation efforts at community colleges. The review first defines and looks at the purposes of community needs assessments, noting that while such studies are purported to facilitate the planning and evaluation of credit and non-credit…

This collection of essays focuses on the importance of accurate and timely information for effective decision making. First, Ivan Lach considers the proliferation of statewide planning and policy formation and discusses problems with and ways to improve statewide research. Next, Cheryl Opacinch focuses on decision making for federal postsecondary…