Trends in Interdisciplinary Dissertation Research: An Analysis of the Survey of Earned Doctorates
Published: May 21, 2012
A working paper released by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics identifies trends in the reporting of interdisciplinary dissertation research among U.S. doctoral graduates. From 2001 to 2008, 28.4% of doctoral graduates reported two or more fields of dissertation research, which, in this report, indicates interdisciplinary research. Of those who reported two fields, a majority listed two closely related fields. MORE
ARRA Increased Federal Research and Development and R&D Plant Obligations by $19.2 Billion for FY 2009-10
Published: May 21, 2012
Funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) increased current-dollar federal obligations for research and development and R&D plant (facilities and fixed equipment) by $10.1 billion in FY 2009 and an estimated $9.1 billion in FY 2010. ARRA funding accounted for 7.4% of the $137 billion total obligated in FY 2009 by federal agencies for R&D and R&D plant, and 6.5% of the estimated $140 billion total in FY 2010. MORE
Published: April, 2012
Call for Proposals: Library Leadership
Dr. Brad Eden and Ms. Jody Fagan seek proposals for chapters in an edited book on topics within academic library leadership, with a focus on connecting library leadership research to the larger body of leadership theory. (See Fagan, J.C. "The effectiveness of academic library deans and directors: a literature review" Library Leadership & Management, v. 26, no. 1, 2012, pp. 1-19). For more details and topic ideas, please visit the website. To submit proposals, please provide a 200-word abstract and a brief outline to lib.leaders.research@gmail.com by May 20, 2012.
Jody Fagan
faganjc@jmu.edu
FSU IR Certificate Program Announces Summer Courses
Now is a great time to enroll in the online Certificate in Institutional Research program at Florida State University, whether you are new to the profession or are a seasoned professional. We are pleased to announce our summer 2012 lineup. These courses fill up quickly, so register today.
The Certificate in Institutional Research at Florida State University consists of 18 credits of graduate-level coursework for institutional researchers, administrators, graduate students, and faculty from all areas of higher education.
More information is available at the website or by emailing IRCertificate@coe.fsu.edu.
Paul Stonecipher
Program Coordinator
AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey
The 2011-12 AAUP Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession was released April 9. Custom peer comparison reports and complete datasets are now available for purchase on the AAUP website. You may submit data corrections at the survey website.
Beginning in May, we will ask our survey contacts for input about possible changes to the AAUP survey. If you are not currently a survey contact, but make use of AAUP data, we would like to include you. Please e-mail us your contact information. As always, we appreciate your participation.
John W. Curtis, Ph.D., Director of Research and Public Policy
aaupfcs@aaup.org
NCSES Announcements and Publications
Diversity in Science and Engineering Employment in Industry
In 2008, compared with the overall science and engineering (S&E) workforce and compared with the U.S. population as a whole, women were underrepresented in the industrial S&E workforce. Whites and underrepresented minority groups were similarly represented in the industrial and the overall S&E workforce, whereas Asians’ representation in the S&E industrial workforce was slightly higher than in the overall S&E workforce. MORE
With Help from ARRA, Universities Report $61 Billion in FY 2010 Total R&D; New Details from Redesigned Survey
University spending on research and development increased 6.9% between FY 2009 and FY 2010 to $61.2 billion, according to FY 2010 data from the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey. This increase was due in large part to the $2.7 billion in reported expenditures funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The federal government funded 61% of the $61.2 billion total. MORE
U.S. R&D Spending Suffered a Rare Decline in 2009 but Outpaced the Overall Economy
Spending on research and development conducted in the United States in 2009 totaled $400.5 billion (current dollars), somewhat below the 2008 level of $403.0 billion, although still well above the $377.0 billion spent in 2007. Although the level of total R&D dropped in 2009 by 0.6%, the depth of the decline was much less than the 2.5% decline in gross domestic product. MORE
ARRA Funding Raises R&D Expenditures within Federally Funded R&D Centers 11% to $16.8 Billion in FY 2010
Research and development expenditures at the nation’s 39 federally funded R&D centers (FFRDCs) rose 10.6% from FY 2009 to FY 2010 ($15.2 billion to $16.8 billion). Over $1 billion of the FY 2010 total was supplied by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This 10.6% increase is the largest one-year increase since 2002, when expenditures increased 14.5%. Data are from the National Science Foundation’s FFRDC Research and Development Survey. MORE
Deborah Collins
dcollins@nsf.gov
A Study of Significance
Reminder: Please complete the survey(s) by April 30, 2012. (See first article under March 2012, below.)
A Study of Significance
A national study titled Community College Survey Data: The Impact of Quantity and Quality on Informed Decision-Making, is being conducted at Trenholm State Technical College in Montgomery, AL. The outcome of this study will inform community college leaders of methods to improve the quality and increase the quantity of surveys so that analysis of future survey data will not only support decisions, but lead to better informed decision-making. We invite you to participate in the Survey for Institutional Research, which should take about 10 minutes to complete. Administrators, faculty, and staff are invited to participate by completing a separate survey. This study will be presented at the 2012 AIR Annual Forum in New Orleans, Louisiana.
U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings
Data Collection for the three U.S. News Best Colleges statistical surveys – Main, Financial Aid, and IPEDS Finance, will begin by March 30, 2012. Each statistical survey contact ill receive an email from a U.S. News data collector with details on how to access the online surveys. If your institution does not receive the notice by March 30, 2012, contact Diane Tolis. The 2013 edition of Best Colleges rankings is scheduled to be published on the website in mid-September, 2012. Thank you to AIR members for participating in the data collection. We appreciate your efforts to provide us with the most accurate data available.
Robert Morse
Director of Data Research, U.S. News & World Report
Webinar: Automating IPEDS - Integrating Datasets and Automating Analyses for Pain-free Reporting
When: 4/19/2012, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET
Presenter: Dr. Loralyn Taylor, Director of Institutional Research & Registrar, Paul Smith’s College, NY
Completing the mandatory IPEDS reporting is no one’s idea of fun, but Rapid Insight Veera software can not only make combining different datasets easy and fast, but it can also automate the data analysis resulting in pain-free reporting. Join Dr. Taylor of Paul Smith's College to see how one understaffed office has automated its IPEDS reporting to save staff both time and their sanity.
Sheryl Kovalik
AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey
Data submissions for the 2011-12 AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey closed February 27. Our published report will be released April 9. Custom peer comparison reports are now available, with complete datasets available for purchase March 28. Complete information on data availability can be found on the AAUP website. You can submit any data corrections at the survey website . If you have questions, please contact us via e-mail or call (202) 737-5900 ext. 118. As always, we appreciate your participation.
John W. Curtis, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Public Policy
NCSES Publications
NCSES 2012 Grant Opportunity
The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) invites proposals for support of research using the data it collects and on methodologies in areas related to the work of the Center. MORE
Federal Obligations for Science and Engineering to Universities and Colleges Show Little Growth
In FY 2008, federal agencies obligated $28.4 billion to 1,316 academic institutions for science and engineering activities. Although this total represents a 4.0% increase in current dollars over FY 2004 levels, it represents a 7.5% decrease in inflation-adjusted 2005 dollars. These data are from the National Science Foundation Survey of Federal Science and Engineering Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions. MORE
Business R&D Performed in the United States Cost $291 Billion in 2008 and $282 Billion in 2009
Companies spent $282 billion on research and development performed in the United States during 2009 and $291 billion during 2008, according to estimates from the Business Research and Development and Innovation Survey. Funding from the companies' own sources declined during this period ($233 billion to $225 billion); funding from other sources remained about the same during the two years, ($58 billion to $57 billion). MORE
Business Use of Intellectual Property Documented in NSF Survey
Results from the Business Research and Development and Innovation Survey showed that in 2008 more U.S. businesses reported that trademarks (15%), trade secrets (14%), and copyrights (12%) were important forms of intellectual property (IP) protection, and fewer reported that design patents (6%), utility patents (5%), and mask works (copyright protection for semiconductor products) (3%) were important. However, the level of reliance on each of these forms of IP protection varied considerably across industry sectors. MORE
Deborah Collins
dcollins@nsf.gov
Published January , 2012
CEDS Version 2 Released
NCES has released Version 2 of Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) in collaboration with SHEEO, and other non-government partners. This version includes definitions for an important subset of postsecondary data elements as well as tools to assist our community in comparing existing definitions to the standards and determining how best to put the new standards to use. CEDS allows education stakeholders, from early childhood educators through postsecondary administrators, legislators, and researchers, to more efficiently work together toward ensuring student success, using consistent and comparable data throughout all education levels and sectors.
Tackling America’s education challenges requires clear, consistent data improved through the use of common data standards. AIR supports the efforts of the CEDS Initiative to help all education stakeholders work together toward this goal. Will you?
Visit the AIR website for more information. You can also contact John Blegen, CEDS Project Manager (SHEEO) or visit the CEDS website.
Data-Informed Decision Making to Improve Community College Student Success
The use of data and evidence to improve policies, programs, and services is at the core of community college student success efforts across the country. A new guide from Public Agenda serves as a resource for community college leaders in data collection and analysis. Building Institutional Capacity for Data-Informed Decision Making, the latest from the Cutting Edge series of reports produced for Achieving the Dream, will help more colleges build institutional research (IR) and information technology (IT) capacity and create a strong culture of evidence in which data and inquiry drive institutional efforts to close achievement gaps and improve overall student outcomes. Allison Rizzolo
arizzolo@publicagenda.org
Adult Student Success Survey
Please consider participation in "Promoting adult student success at four-year Higher Education Institutions." This project will examine the extent to which four-year institutions meet the needs of adult students and thereby promote their success. The study looks at how four-year institutions meet motivators, remove barriers, and implement needed interventions. To participate, visit the website. If you participate, a copy of your results as compared to national averages can be sent to you. To request a paper copy of this survey, please contact:
Heidi Watson
h.a.watson@iup.edu.
2011 CIRP Freshman Survey Released
First-year college students' political and social views shifted in a more liberal direction, according to the 2011 CIRP Freshman Survey, which is based on the responses of more than 200,000 first-time, full-time students entering four-year colleges across the country. Notable changes were seen in student views on same-sex marriage, affirmative action, and access to higher education for undocumented students. On the academic front, students showed more positive behaviors consistent with academic success. The report also shows that students continue to have difficulty paying for college, with fewer funds available through grants and scholarships and increased levels of loan usage.
For more information on the survey, please contact HERI staff at heri@ucla.edu or visit the website.
2012 Enrollment Open for the National Community College Benchmark Project (NCCBP)
The NCCBP collects and reports data on more than 150 community-college student outcomes, retention, developmental education, minority participation, market penetration, contract training, student/faculty ratio, faculty load, human resources, and professional-development variables at the institutional level.
Participants receive reports of both their individual institutional and national aggregate data, as well as the opportunity to select peer colleges and create benchmark comparisons on the project website.
For additional information, including enrollment forms and procedures, visit the project website.
Jeff Seybert, Director, National Higher Education Benchmarking Institute
jseybert@jccc.edu
AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey
The AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey 2011-12 deadline for inclusion in the 2012 published report is February 27. All survey contacts should have received a reminder email on January 23. To check survey status, log in to the AAUP website. If you submitted data some time ago, please be patient. We normally address problems before reviewing entries that did not generate warnings. If you have questions, send us an email or call (202) 737-5900 ext. 118. As always, we appreciate your participation.
John W. Curtis, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Public Policy
Published January , 2012
New National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) Report
Making Student Learning Evidence Transparent: The State of the Art
Jankowski, N., & Provezis, S. (2011)
Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA)
This report summarizes what colleges and universities tell the public via their websites about their efforts to measure student learning. The report is based on information from the websites of 200 colleges and universities across the U.S. and describes how institutions display assessment results, the progress higher education has made in the past few years in terms of institutional transparency, and the impact of national transparency initiatives to encourage schools to report such information. The national transparency initiatives examined include the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), the University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN), Transparency by Design (TbD), and Achieving the Dream (ATD).
Natasha Jankowski
njankow2@illinois.edu
Call for Papers: Quality Approaches in Higher Education
The American Society for Quality (ASQ) Education Division is pleased to announce the release of the December issue of its peer-reviewed online journal, Quality Approaches in Higher Education. It includes articles on systems thinking, STEM education, assessment, and college teaching. The purpose of this publication is to engage the higher education community in a discussion on topics related to improving quality in higher education, identifying best practices in higher education, and expanding the literature specific to quality in higher education topics. Quality Approaches in Higher Education welcomes faculty to consider submitting articles for review. Manuscripts are being accepted now for consideration for future issues.
The “Call for Articles” for future issues and “Author Guidelines” are included in this issue. In particular, the editorial team is interested in manuscripts on topics that include using assessments for continuous improvement and accreditation, showing how use of the Baldrige framework can increase student success, increasing engagement and quality of learning through lecture capture and other technologies, dealing with rising costs without jeopardizing learning, sponsoring programs for helping graduates gain employment, and merging research with practice.
Cindy Veenstra
cpveenst@umich.edu
Data Notes November/December 2011 Issue, Now Available
Start with Success in Sight: Early Predictors of Student Success
A previous issue of Data Notes examined students’ first-year outcomes in terms of course attempts and completions, and explored the relationship between first-year course completions and third-year persistence and award attainment rates. This issue of Data Notes updates the early analysis. Differences in outcomes were analyzed by race/ethnicity, Pell Grant receipt, initial enrollment status, and major field of study. The findings indicate that, in general, students who complete 20 or more credits during the first academic year have better long-term outcomes. Students who enrolled full-time during their first term were much more likely than students attending college on a half-time basis to complete 20 or more credits in their first year of enrollment and have higher persistence and attainment outcomes in the third year. The analysis yielded mixed results across different race/ethnicities. Third year outcomes did not vary when examined by Pell Grant status. Finally, students with declared majors in their first term were more likely to complete, transfer, or persist than those who did not declare majors.
Colleges, Data Facilitators and Coaches – Next week you will be able to view your individual college’s companion figures to this issue of Data Notes on the Achieving the Dream web submission site. After signing in to the web submission site, select the January/February 2011 issue under the “Reports” menu to view your college’s data.
Elif Bor
ebor@jblassoc.com
IES Funding Opportunity Announcement
As the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) provides competitive grants to support both theoretically and methodologically rigorous research on postsecondary and adult education. Our goal is to advance scientific knowledge that contributes to the enhancement of targeted learning outcomes of postsecondary students; the increase in access to, persistence in, and completion of postsecondary education; and the improvement of reading, writing, and numeracy skills of learners in adult education programs. A range of different types of research projects are funded, including those in which primary data collection projects are supplemented by secondary data analyses, as well as projects consisting solely of secondary data analyses. Many IES projects also collect qualitative data to complement their analyses. These projects seek to answer both exploratory and confirmatory research questions about interventions that have the potential to improve student outcomes. In addition, IES provides support for researchers to 1) develop new or modify existing postsecondary education interventions, 2) evaluate postsecondary education interventions, and 3) develop and validate new measures or validate existing measures pertaining to postsecondary education.
A Request for Applications describing application requirements is posted annually by early spring. Registering for the IES Newsflash (check all after NCER) enables researchers to obtain automatic notification and timely information on the Request for Applications. Applications may be submitted at two deadlines each year and are evaluated through an external peer review process. The Research Narrative portion of the grant application, limited to 25 pages, contains an emphasis on the significance of the proposed work and the research plan. Grants range from $100,000 to $1,000,000 (total cost) per year, with years of funding ranging from one to five, depending on the type of project. Please visit our website for additional information.
IES provides technical assistance to applicants. Program staff gives quality feedback at various stages of the development of applications, including providing comments on draft applications. New applicants and junior researchers are especially encouraged to contact a program officer early in the development of their application. IES program officers are happy to answer your questions regarding a possible grant submission at any time. Information regarding topic areas and their respective program officers is available on the NCER website.
Hiromi Ono
Hiromi.Ono@ed.gov
AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey 2011-12
The 2011-12 AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey data collection is in full swing. Thank you to the more than 800 institutions who have already submitted data for this year. We set an initial deadline of January 11 to encourage institutions to submit data early; however, we will continue to accept data up to our publication deadline.
There are no substantive changes to our survey data definitions or data submission process for 2011-12. However, to submit data via file upload, please download the 2011-12 data file from the survey web site, as the file from last year will not work properly. Complete information is available on the survey Web site.
NCES changed the IPEDS Human Resources survey for 2011-12 to eliminate benefits items from the Salaries section. The AAUP survey benefits section remains unchanged. At the same time, we recognize that the change in IPEDS reporting may affect responses to this section of our survey, so we will relax the rules for data submission and change our reporting formats accordingly.
We are continuously updating our survey contacts and institutional records, so if you know of changes to contact person(s), e-mail addresses, institution names, or categories, please send us a note.
Thank you for participating in our survey.
John Curtis
jcurtis@aaup.org
American Association of University Professors
NCSES Publications
Science and Engineering Indicators 2012
Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 is now available in PDF format. This biennial volume provides a broad base of quantitative information on the U.S. and international science and engineering enterprise. Supporting appendix tables are available in spreadsheet format. Accompanying SEI 2012 are the interactive Science and Engineering Indicators Digest and the redesigned State Data Tool, which provides a wealth of information on science and technology infrastructure by state and allows in-depth exploration of these data. (Read more)
Racial and Ethnic Diversity among U.S.-Educated Science, Engineering, and Health Doctorate Recipients: Methods of Reporting Diversity
Agencies and researchers have tabulated data on race and ethnicity in various ways over the years. This InfoBrief describes two common methods for tabulating race and ethnicity (minimum and maximum number reporting each race) and uses these methods to present the racial and ethnic diversity of the science, engineering, and health doctoral population. In 2008, 98.8% of the estimated 752,000 members of this population reported being a single race, and 1.2% reported being two or more races. (Read more)
Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering (S&E)
WMPD provides a broad base of quantitative information about the participation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in S&E higher education and employment. Data in this report are updated on a rolling basis. Updates in this release cover graduate enrollment, degrees awarded (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees), characteristics of doctorate recipients’ academic institutions, primary source of financial support for doctoral recipients, and postdoctorate status. (Read more)
Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: Fall 2009
Data presented in these detailed statistical tables are from the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: Fall 2009. The tables present information on trends in enrollment of science and engineering graduate students through 2009. Data are presented on trends in number of graduate students by sex, race/ethnicity, citizenship, field, and primary source and mechanism of support. (Read more)
Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities: 2010 Data Tables (NSF 12-305)
The data tables for Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2010 show trends in the numbers of individuals who receive research doctoral degrees. Detailed information is provided by field of doctorate, doctoral institution, and characteristics of the doctorate recipient. The data also show trends in the postgraduation plans of doctorate recipients. Data are from the Survey of Earned Doctorates, a census of individuals receiving research doctoral degrees from accredited U.S. universities and colleges. (Read more)
State Profiles Web Application
The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics of the National Science Foundation has released a new Web-based data tool for Science and Engineering State Profiles. The tool contains data from 2003–09 and allows users to generate science and engineering profiles that summarize state-specific data on personnel and finances. The State Profiles data tool can display a single state's profile or a profile containing up to 10 states. (Read more)
Debra Collins
dcollins@nsf.gov
Linking Institutional Policies to Student Success (LIPSS)
LIPSS seeks to determine whether – and which – institutional policies might be leveraged to improve college student engagement and, ultimately, persistence and graduation.
College and university administrators have long struggled to implement institutional policies that foster student success in a way that is both cost effective and consistent with the latest research findings.
Read More
Rebecca Brower
COE-LIPSS@fsu.edu