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#9-9Subject: Redesign of IPEDS Surveys - Update #9 Prepared: February 2000 Summary Although the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Task Force for IPEDS Redesign recommended last summer that IPEDS surveys be submitted through three Web-based collections, insufficient Congressional funding for FY 2000 has caused NCES to drastically cut the data to be collected and to reduce the number of collections to two. As of now, two surveys have been deleted completely: Faculty Salaries and Fall Staff. In addition, the Finance, Fall Enrollment, and Graduation Rate surveys were substantially reduced. The proposed addition of new items, including three matrices for collecting faculty and staff data, is still planned, with optional submission in 2001-2002 and mandatory collection thereafter. The Voluntary Institutional On-Line Information Network (VIOLIN) is currently unfunded, but the peer analysis system will be available. Feedback about the proposed deletions and other changes is welcome and should be directed to IPEDS@ed.gov. In addition, a final decision about how to collect and report racial/ethnic data has not been made (and it appears that proposals for reporting data made by the 1999 Policy Panel on Racial/Ethnic Data will not be adopted). Therefore, institutions are strongly urged not to make any changes in the way they currently collect racial/ethnic data (relating to multiple responses) until a final decision has been announced. Current Status Last August the NCES Task Force for IPEDS Redesign made 11 recommendations that included a proposal for three Web-based collections of information to replace the seven current paper-based IPEDS surveys (see http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ncestfredesign.html). Other recommendations included the addition of several data elements, including three new matrices to link the Faculty Salaries and Fall Staff surveys; a Web-based peer analysis tool; a new voluntary data collection and peer analysis system (VIOLIN); and endorsement of the recommendations of the 1999 Policy Panel on Racial/Ethnic Data for reporting aggregate data. Changes to Proposed IPEDS Collection. NCES learned in November that $5 million requested to implement the recommendations of the Task Force was not authorized by Congress. After some negotiations, NCES subsequently received $3.5 million, which is enough to fund only two Web-based data collections. As a result, on January 11 NCES announced that a number of items that were included in IPEDS surveys for many years will no longer be collected (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/pdf/redesign/ip2000de.pdf). In reaching a decision about which items to add and delete, NCES took into account whether items are critical to federal reporting mandates (e.g., Title IV, Title VI, Title IX, and Student Right to Know), whether requested data are readily available from institutions, what the anticipated uses would be, and the overall size of the spring collection. The fall 2000 collection (September 1 through October 31) will include
The spring 2001 collection (February 16 through April 5) will include
Deletions. Two IPEDS surveys, Faculty Salaries and Fall Staff, will be deleted. NCES anticipates that the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) will continue to collect and publish faculty salary data. NCES also anticipates that the EEOC will either collect Fall Staff data itself through the old EEO-6 form or possibly provide funding for NCES to collect the data over the Web. Twelve of the 15 rows on the full-time table of the Fall Enrollment Survey will be combined or deleted, with similar changes on the part-time table, leaving only six rows on each table. The resulting tables will collect data by gender and race/ethnicity for first-time degree-seeking undergraduates, total undergraduates, total first-professional students, and total graduate students only (with a grand total and data for all other undergraduates generated from reported data). In addition, items relating to age for first-professional and graduate students (collected in odd years), residence of first-year students graduating from high school the prior year (collected in even years), location of out-of-state centers (collected in even years), and clarifying questions (remedial; extension; branch; residence of transfer, first-time professional, first-time graduate) will all be deleted. Enrollment for nine CIP codes (collected in even years from four-year institutions), age of full-time and part-time undergraduate students (collected in odd years), and residence of first-time freshmen (collected in even years) will still be collected. Because of particular interest in some of the deleted items, NCES may consider adding a few items back in 2001-2002 provided sufficient funding is received to enable the items to be incorporated into the Web-based data collection system. The Finance surveys will also experience major changes. For private not-for-profit institutions, changes include the deletion of 74 rows and the combination of 13 rows into four. Sections that will be either reduced or deleted include * hospital revenue
Furthermore, only totals will be collected for Part A (Revenues and Investment Returns), Part AA (Student Aid), and Part B (Expenses by Functional and Natural Classification) and only beginning amounts will be collected for Part DC (Plant, Property, and Equipment). The Finance Survey for public institutions has similar changes, including the deletion of 39 rows and the combination of six rows into two. Sections that will be cut include * federal appropriations through state channels
Furthermore, only totals will be collected for Part A (Current Funds Revenues by Source), Part B (Current Funds Expenditures by Function), and Part E (Scholarship and Fellowship Expenditures), and only beginning amounts will be collected for Part K (Physical Plant Assets). Deletions to the GRS include detail for years-to-degree, non-completers, transfers-out (except for institutions whose mission includes preparing students to transfer), and exclusions. In addition, three rows for years-to-degree will be deleted on the supplemental form. NCES has also deleted the collection of data on part-time students from the two-year public form (GRS2). Surveys with minor or no changes include the following: * Institutional Characteristics—only a few items were deleted as recommended
by the NCES Task Force and some check off items were modified
Planned Additions. The following items that the NCES Task Force recommended adding are still planned on an optional basis in 2001-2002 and mandatory thereafter: * Selectivity and freshman profile (fall)
For more information about these proposed additions see http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/pdf/redesign/redesign.pdf and http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/facstaff/facstaff.html. In addition, more detail on 12-month enrollment may be added to the spring collection. Future Status. Some items not collected in 2000-2001 may be added back in future years if funds become available to revise the system. At this time the additions described above are planned for 2001-2002, and the Fall Staff Survey may be added if funding becomes available. However, the Faculty Salaries Survey probably will not be reinstated because the AAUP will continue to do a similar survey. In addition, many of the items that will be deleted from the Finance Survey for private not-for-profit institutions may not be added back because of concerns about response burden (they are not available from institutions’ audited financial statements) and lack of comparability with upcoming changes to the Finance Survey for public institutions. AIR/NCES Training. In order to help institutions successfully submit data through the new Web-based collection process, NCES has provided a grant to AIR to develop a training program for institutional respondents. Two five-day Train-the-Trainer sessions will be held in May and June to provide in-depth training for 60 state IPEDS coordinators and 60 institutional representatives. Then during July and August these individuals will provide training for institutions at 40 regional two-day workshops. The workshops for institutional representatives will include hands-on training for accessing the system, handling passwords and locking, entering and uploading data, resolving failed edits, obtaining assistance in case there is a problem, and using the peer analysis and College Opportunity On-Line systems. They will also provide tips for good practice, explanations of new items, an explanation of data flow involving state coordinators, and other relevant information. Software vendors will be asked to become involved so that they can develop modules to allow institutions to create files to upload data to the new system. Keyholders. In late January CEOs were sent a letter describing the upcoming changes to IPEDS and told that a letter would be sent to them in June requesting they appoint an IPEDS keyholder for the fall collection. The letter also encouraged them to send the keyholder to training. Keyholders for last August’s IPSFA Survey received an e-mail copy of the CEO letter. Racial/Ethnic Data. On November 5, 1999, NCES announced that the status of changes in reporting racial/ethnic data and the date when these changes will take effect are being revisited (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/newracereport.html). Furthermore, it appears that proposals for reporting data from the 1999 Policy Panel on Racial/Ethnic Data (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/pdf/finalracerec.pdf) will not be adopted. Therefore, institutions are strongly urged not to make any changes at this time with respect to collecting, storing, or analyzing racial/ethnic data using multiple responses until a final decision about forthcoming requirements for these data has been announced. Implications for Institutions Because the upcoming changes affect the content and methodology for reporting IPEDS data starting next September, individuals who supply IPEDS data should read carefully the recent summary of proposed changes (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/pdf/redesign/ip2000de.pdf) and the NCES Task Force report (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ncestfredesign.html). In addition, they should provide feedback to IPEDS@ed.gov, especially if they have a concern or question. Individuals who supply staff and/or faculty salary data also should read the report of the NPEC Faculty/Staff Review Working Group (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/facstaff/facstaff.html). In June the institution's CEO will be asked to designate an individual to serve as the IPEDS keyholder for the fall collection. Once designated, the keyholder will need to register prior to September 1. Keyholders also should attend one of the 35 regional NCES/AIR training sessions that will be offered in July and August. Any Title IV institutions that did not submit data to the Web-based IPSFA Survey this summer should make arrangements to submit price and financial aid data next year when these data will be mandatory. Institutions should be prepared to enter and/or upload the Institutional Characteristics and Completions data over the Web between September 1 and October 31. Keyholders are urged to submit their data as early in the collection period as possible to avoid not being able to "lock" their data because of a problem detected by edits built into the system. The fall Web-based system will be closed after October 31 and no data will be accepted after that date. The spring Web-based system for fall enrollment, 12-month enrollment and credit/contact hour data, finance, student financial aid, and GRS will be open only from February 16 to April 5. Institutions are strongly urged not to make any changes with respect to collecting, storing, or analyzing racial/ethnic data related to using multiple responses until a final decision about forthcoming requirements for these data has been announced. Individuals who supply data for fall enrollment, completions, and the GRS should watch for an announcement of final recommendations at http://nces.ed.gov/Ipeds/whatsnew.html and discuss needed changes with their institution’s information technology staff. If an institution’s enterprise databases are supported by vendor software, the vendor should be encouraged to work with NCES so the company can develop an interface to the Web-based system. Timeline May 1999 – College Opportunities On-Line (COOL) system
made available to the public
Additional Resources * Summary of changes to IPEDS for 2000-2001: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/pdf/redesign/ip2000de.pdf
Author: Mary Sapp Coordinated by the Higher Education Data Policy and Publication
Committees. All opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the
official position of the Association for Institutional Research. |