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With $500,000 Grant, Higher Education Associations Will Help Colleges and Universities Accelerate Analytics Use
The Association for Institutional Research (AIR), EDUCAUSE, and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) have been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundatio...Read Moreabout: With $500,000 Grant, Higher Education Associations Will Help Colleges and Universities Accelerate Analytics Use -
An IR Offices Reflection: Responding to Annual Reporting for Year Two of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)
Recently, the federal government asked institutions that received Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funding to report data for year two of the reporting cycle. The request this year included multiple items t...Read Moreabout: An IR Offices Reflection: Responding to Annual Reporting for Year Two of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) -
Good Institutional Research Is More About Managing People than Managing Data
Performance management and professional development are frequently discussed interchangeably, yet one is a reflection on the past while the other is forward looking. When I think of performance management, I think ab...Read Moreabout: Good Institutional Research Is More About Managing People than Managing Data -
Creating a Common Data Language on Campus
A former provost, who is now a college president, told me that IR is “The Keeper of Truth.” This seems logical, as IR should be the point of contact for both internal data analysis and external data repor...Read Moreabout: Creating a Common Data Language on Campus -
Using HTML Widgets for R to Create Interactive Reports
Institutional researchers are often tasked with synthesizing large amounts of data, perhaps by visualizing it in charts or summarizing it in tabular format. Allowing users to interact with these charts or tables by sorti...Read Moreabout: Using HTML Widgets for R to Create Interactive Reports -
Seize the Day: AIR Board of Directors Updates
Summer passed by way too quickly!With many warm feelings remaining from the AIR Forum in June, we now gear up for a new academic year. As we move toward closing the pandemic (perhaps a wishful hope?), it is even clearer ...Read Moreabout: Seize the Day: AIR Board of Directors Updates -
Five Steps to Standardizing IPEDS Data Access at Your Institution
IntroductionThis eAIR Tech Tip provides advice for institutional researchers who utilize Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data for benchmarking, look-back, market, and similar landscape analyses. Wi...Read Moreabout: Five Steps to Standardizing IPEDS Data Access at Your Institution -
Average IR Office Staff FTE by Total Institutional Enrollment
Institutional data capacity is largely dependent on the IR Office. And the amount of information that an IR Office can produce is strongly tied to the size of that office. So, what drives the size of the IR Office? In sh...Read Moreabout: Average IR Office Staff FTE by Total Institutional Enrollment -
Farewell, So Long
Dear AIR Colleagues, By the time you read this, the changing of the guard will have taken place, and I must bid you farewell as AIR President. Orientation, training, a couple dozen board meetings, opportunities to engage...Read Moreabout: Farewell, So Long -
AIR Graduate Student Members Can Now Vote in AIR Leadership Elections
The AIR Bylaws were updated by a vote of the members present at the AIR Annual Business Meeting on Wednesday, June 8, in Phoenix. Following the 2021 AIR leadership elections, the 2020-2021 Nomination and Elections Commit...Read Moreabout: AIR Graduate Student Members Can Now Vote in AIR Leadership Elections -
Why Good Intentions Aren’t Enough to Use Data Ethically
Significant ethical scandals are thankfully rare in institutional research and effectiveness (IR/IE). Every few years brings a case of an institution that has deliberately falsified data, usually data for external survey...Read Moreabout: Why Good Intentions Aren’t Enough to Use Data Ethically -
Let’s Prioritize Democratic Civility
Amid the election for our new AIR leaders, I think it is important as you contemplate who to vote for to reflect on the purpose of your vote. I fundamentally believe the leaders we choose are an image of our hope fo...Read Moreabout: Let’s Prioritize Democratic Civility -
Tips for Providing Accurate and Contextualized Information
We put a call out on the AIR Hub and Twitter for tips on making sure your work does not undermine the following of our Ethical Principles: "We provide accurate and contextualized information. We do not knowingly ...Read Moreabout: Tips for Providing Accurate and Contextualized Information -
Data Ethics Haiku
As data stewards, we are responsible for ensuring the privacy and security of information we use and share. The AIR Statement of Ethical Principles outlines the integrity of our profession. An important area of our ...Read Moreabout: Data Ethics Haiku -
Introduction to Data Ethics
Every day, more than 2.5 exabytes (1 exabyte = 1 billion gigabytes) of data are produced. By the end of 2025, estimates suggest that number will rise to 436 exabytes. Data is truly everywhere, and its use is expanding an...Read Moreabout: Introduction to Data Ethics -
Using the Self-Determined Professional Development Cycle© for Intentional Professional Growth
Many of my career positions have required a set amount of professional development each year. However, I have generally received few guidelines on which topics or activities to prioritize. I grew tired of putting off req...Read Moreabout: Using the Self-Determined Professional Development Cycle© for Intentional Professional Growth -
Campus Leaders Reflect on IR, Ethics
A consistent theme in the reactions to the AIR Statement of Ethical Principles has been concern over the tension between what campus leaders want and what IR/IE practitioners see as the correct or ethical path. We ...Read Moreabout: Campus Leaders Reflect on IR, Ethics -
Do Staff Adhere to Standards Dictating Ethical Use of Data?
One of the foundational principles of our work in data and analytics is the ethical use of data. In the 2018 AIR National Survey of IR Offices, we asked Office Leaders to evaluate the statement, “Staff adhere to st...Read Moreabout: Do Staff Adhere to Standards Dictating Ethical Use of Data? -
Evaluation of Stakeholder Data Literacy Skills
Data literacy is the ability to read, work with, analyze, and communicate with data*. As data and analytics professionals, we depend on our stakeholders to have the necessary data literacy skills to consume and use the ...Read Moreabout: Evaluation of Stakeholder Data Literacy Skills -
Data Visualization: Quick Tips
In this article we will be discussing the key aspects of creating effective dashboards that convey useful information and visualizing survey results. Communicating quantitative and qualitative data in an easily dig...Read Moreabout: Data Visualization: Quick Tips
