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Order Up! Everything I Learned About Institutional Research Came from Working in Restaurants
The few of us in this world who have endeavored to hone our skills and talents in the field of institutional research (IR) do so with the thought that ours is a truly unique profession. I mean, if one thinks about it, th...Read Moreabout: Order Up! Everything I Learned About Institutional Research Came from Working in Restaurants -
The Provision of PII Data on Faculty and Staff by Institutional Researchers
One of the primary responsibilities of offices of Institutional Research (IR) is responding to ad hoc requests for data on students, faculty, and staff at their institutions. Some of these ad hoc requests are for persona...Read Moreabout: The Provision of PII Data on Faculty and Staff by Institutional Researchers -
Conducting Generalizability Studies with Unbalanced Data
In a recently published article in AIR Professional File (Sturgis, Marchand, Miller, Xu, and Castiglioni, 2022), I, along with my co-authors, introduce generalizability theory (G-theory) to institutional research (IR) pr...Read Moreabout: Conducting Generalizability Studies with Unbalanced Data -
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 -
5 Tips for Implementing a Data and Analytics Culture
When I hear “data and analytics culture,” I immediately think of the work Jason Simon and his team are doing at the University of North Texas (UNT). Jason Simon, Ph.D., Associate Vice President of ...Read Moreabout: 5 Tips for Implementing a Data and Analytics Culture -
IR Professionals as Change Agents
When I began working in the field of institutional research (IR) in 2010, my daily tasks consisted of completing some externally mandated reports and a few ad hoc internal requests. Today, there are daily data requests, ...Read Moreabout: IR Professionals as Change Agents -
In Memoriam: Alexander Astin
The AIR community mourns the loss of Alexander Astin, who was a pioneer of student experience research and theories and professor emeritus at the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies. He passed away May 18 ...Read Moreabout: In Memoriam: Alexander Astin -
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 -
The Importance of Class Size: An Interview with Mark Umbricht
AIR talked to Mark Umbricht, Director of Data Analysis and Research at University of North Carolina System, to chat about how his 2018 AIR Forum session was referenced in Ron Lieber’s book, The Price You ...Read Moreabout: The Importance of Class Size: An Interview with Mark Umbricht -
Raising the Data Literate and Qualitatively Responsible
Back in fall 2006, I had barely started my career in the IR/IE field, and our oldest child was starting her first year in Governor’s School in Virginia. One of her assigned books was How to Lie with Statistics by...Read Moreabout: Raising the Data Literate and Qualitatively Responsible -
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 -
Ethical Use of Data: Scenarios for Discussion
The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our students, prospective students, faculty, and staff is not yet known. Institutional research professionals can help support a better understanding of this impact by first r...Read Moreabout: Ethical Use of Data: Scenarios for Discussion -
Considerations for Ethical Use of Data During a Pandemic
The collection, analysis, and reporting of data in ethical ways has always been foundational for institutional research. Ethical research requires not only a high degree of veracity and accuracy in our work, but it als...Read Moreabout: Considerations for Ethical Use of Data During a Pandemic -
COVID-19 Brings New Reports, Ethical Challenges
When the AIR Board approved the AIR Statement of Ethical Principles in September 2019, COVID-19 wasn't a blip on anyone's radar. Those were halcyon days, when the most popular dashboards tracked student success and enr...Read Moreabout: COVID-19 Brings New Reports, Ethical Challenges -
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 -
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 -
AIR Professional File Editor Retires After Seven Years of Service
Seven years, nine volumes, and 17 scholarly articles later, Sharron Ronco has retired from her role as editor of AIR Professional File, the association’s scholarly journal. In her volunteer role as editor, Sharro...Read Moreabout: AIR Professional File Editor Retires After Seven Years of Service -
Making Dollars and Sense of the Value of Higher Education
Abundant evidence documents that a college degree confers significant economic and non-economic value for individuals and society. Even so, there is a need to continue to improve methods and data sources to deepen analys...Read Moreabout: Making Dollars and Sense of the Value of Higher Education