IR Focus Group Opportunity: Understanding Faculty, Academic Careers, and Environments in Service of Equity

Institutional researchers (IR) are invited to participate in a recently launched study, Understanding Faculty, Academic Careers, and Environments in Service of Equity. In particular, IR professionals are asked to participate in a paid online focus group about the availability and organization of institutional data about who makes up the faculty in colleges and universities.

As part of an NSF-funded research project based at the University of Southern California, the study aims to learn more from institutional data providers about the specific data their institutions maintain on faculty, which institution offices maintain those data and have reporting responsibilities, the format of the data, and their institutions’ policies related to data sharing.

The long-term goal of the project is to update and expand the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF), which was the only nationally representative source of data on faculty’s careers and work experiences. The US Department of Education last collected NSOPF data in 2004.

To achieve a nationally representative sample of faculty, IR professionals will be asked to provide a faculty roster, including contact and employment information for individuals. These data will be used to create the faculty sample when we conduct full-scale data collection. This sampling approach is also used by the NSF’s Survey of Earned Doctorates.

To participate: Visit the study site to learn more about timeline, compensation, and participation details.