Institutional Researcher’s Credo I realize that I will not succeed in answering all of your questions. Indeed, I will not answer any of them completely. The answers I provide will only serve to raise a whole new set of questions that lead to more problems, some of which you weren’t aware of in the first place. When my work is complete, you will be as confused as ever, but hopefully, you will be
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Institutional Researcher’s Credo I realize that I will not succeed in answering all of your questions. Indeed, I will not answer any of them completely.
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Institutional Researcher’s Credo
I realize that I will not succeed in answering all of your questions. Indeed, I will not answer any of them completely. The answers I provide will only serve to raise a whole new set of questions that lead to more problems, some of which you weren’t aware of in the first place. When my work is complete, you will be as confused as ever, but hopefully, you will be confused on a higher level and about more important things.
…research conducted within an institution of higher education to provide information which supports institutional planning, policy formation and decision making.• Saupe, 1990 – The functions of IR
The institutional researcher serves higher education and, in turn, his institution through critical appraisal and careful investigation of its processes and programs.• Suslow, 1972– A Declaration on Institutional
The mission of the Office of Information Management and Institutional Research (IMIR) is to provide and coordinate information support for planning, administering, and evaluating academic and administrative programs in ways that will continuously improve IUPUI.
…are organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. (Senge, 1990)
Bottom line evaluation shows modest impact• Improved retention and grades among “treated students”• Overall retention rate goes south
Further (qualitative) analyses reveal problems with “one-size-fits-all” approach• Focus groups; interviews; faculty fellows
Adjustments• Agreement with local CC to defer some students• School-based models to appeal to different interests• Companion supports: summer bridge, critical inquiry, structured
learning assistance, math assistance center• Block and thematic learning communities
What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it. ~(Simon, 1971)
Decisions made within a social-organizational-political context• Rules and roles define/constrain process• Social and organizational relationships must
Learning is the detection and correction of error (unintended consequences)
“Governing Variables” are those things what we feel are important to keep within acceptable limits
“Action Strategy” is what we do or plan to do to keep the governing variables within limits
“Consequences” are the intended and unintended outputs and outcomes• Intended: confirm our theory in use• Unintended: suggests error in our theory in use
Who does what?• Decides what actions are taken?• Is responsible for effective implementation?• Can devise appropriate evaluation protocols?• Has access to or can collect appropriate
evidence?• Reviews the results and decides what to do?
What can be done to get these people to work together and in concert?
Coordinate the assessment and inquiry process with campus-level planning and budgeting; integrate the challenges with strategic plans; coordinate budgeting to provide necessary support.
Appoint workgroups to address critical, campus-wide challenges; consider providing release time to team leaders to work on tasks for the campus.
Coordinate the inquiry process (activities of the workgroups) with campus planning and budgeting.
Build an Understanding of the Challenge– What solutions have been tried in the past, and how well
did they work? What aspects of the challenge have not been adequately addressed? What aspects require more study? Develop hypotheses about the causes for the challenges using data to test the hypotheses. Do the explanations hold up to the evidence?
Look Internally and Externally for Solutions– Talk with people on campus about how they have
addressed related challenges. Consider best practices for retention and how they might be adapted to meet local needs. Visit other campuses that have tried out different approaches to the problem. How well would these alternatives address the challenge at your campus?
Assess Possible Solutions• Consider alternatives in relation to the
understanding of the problem developed in Stage 3, step 1. Will the solutions address the challenge at your campus? How can the solution be pilot tested? If you tried out the solution, how would you know if it worked? What information would you need to know how well it worked?
Develop Action Plans– Action plans should address the implementation of
solutions that should be pilot tested. Consider solutions that can be implemented by current staff. If there are additional costs, develop budgets for consideration internally and externally. (Remember, seeking additional funds can slow down the change process.) Develop action plans with time frames for implementation and evaluation
Implement Pilot Test and Evaluate– Provide feedback to workgroups and campus coordinating
team. Use evaluation results to refine the solution. Also, evaluation can be used as a basis for seeking additional funding from internal and external sources, if needed
How do we organize/staff to support the “culture of institutional research?”
There are many kinds of supports possible• Institutional research and analysis• Measurement and instrumentation• Program review and evaluation• Quality enhancement• Performance management