Workshops

This free, AIR-funded workshop helps IR and HR professionals confidently complete the IPEDS Human Resources survey. Learn how to prepare consistent data, classify employees accurately using SOC codes, coordinate with stakeholders, and use results beyond compliance. Hands-on exercises reinforce key concepts and support benchmarking with common employee metrics.

All Levels | Virtual Workshop | 2 Hrs

This free, AIR-funded workshop offers step-by-step guidance on completing the IPEDS Student Financial Aid (SFA) and new Cost Survey (CST). Learn how to manage and extract financial aid data, create frozen files, and meet evolving reporting requirements. The session also covers best practices for accurate CST submission and how to use financial aid data for internal reporting and external benchmarking.

All Levels | Virtual Workshop | 2 Hrs

This free, AIR-funded two-hour workshop walks participants through the IPEDS Spring Collection, focusing on the Fall Enrollment, Finance, and Human Resources surveys. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of reporting requirements, learn practical strategies for accurate and efficient submission, and leave equipped to manage their spring reporting with confidence.

All Levels | Virtual Workshop | 2 Hrs

This free, AIR-funded two-hour workshop guides participants through the IPEDS Fall Collection, with a focus on the Cost of Attendance, Completions, and 12-Month Enrollment surveys. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of reporting steps, receive practical tips for efficient submission, and walk away with tools to confidently manage their fall reporting responsibilities.

All Levels | Virtual Workshop | 2 Hrs

This free, AIR-funded three-hour workshop provides foundational training on completing the IPEDS Student Financial Aid (SFA) Survey and the new Cost Survey (CST). Participants will learn to manage financial aid data, create frozen files, and navigate evolving reporting requirements. The session covers key concepts, accurate data submission, and best practices for CST reporting—along with strategies for using these data in internal analysis and external benchmarking.

All Levels | Virtual Workshop | 2 Hrs

This free, AIR-funded two-hour workshop covers the IPEDS Winter Collection, including the Student Financial Aid, Cost of Attendance (Part II), Graduation Rates, 200% Graduation Rates, Admissions, and Outcome Measures surveys. Participants will receive step-by-step guidance, practical tips for efficient submission, and the tools to confidently manage their winter reporting duties.

All Levels | Virtual Workshop | 2 Hrs

New to benchmarking? This three-hour workshop introduces core concepts using IPEDS surveys, Data Feedback Reports, and NCES tools. Learn how to build peer groups, define key performance indicators, and compare your institution meaningfully and effectively.

All Levels | Virtual Workshop | 2 Hrs

Make the most of IPEDS data to explore student and institutional success. This three-hour workshop focuses on key surveys—Completions, Graduation Rates, 200% Graduation Rates, Fall Enrollment, and Outcome Measures—and helps you interpret outcomes and apply insights across your campus.

All Levels | Virtual Workshop | 2 Hrs

As a data professional, you're likely fluent in IPEDS definitions and reporting structures. That familiarity can serve as a strong foundation for exploring the PDP, a student-centered data resource that offers a more comprehensive view of student progress and success.  

This workshop uses a compare-and-contrast approach to help you build fluency in PDP metrics by anchoring them to concepts you already know. Through examination of where the PDP aligns with—and diverges from—IPEDS, you'll gain a clearer understanding of how to interpret PDP data, communicate insights, and decide when to use each system effectively. Whether you’re new to the PDP or are looking to deepen your understanding, this session will help you make the most of both data systems to: 

• Compare key metrics from PDP and IPEDS to understand their different purposes  
• Learn how PDP captures the full first-year student experience, including part-time and transfer populations 
• Develop confidence in using PDP data for institutional analysis and student success efforts 

Do you seek valuable insights from comparing of your institution to others? As a student-centered data resource that offers a comprehensive view of student progress and success, the PDP provides valuable metrics and subpopulations that aren’t available elsewhere. Join AIR for a case study-based exploration of PDP's benchmarking capabilities. You will learn how to: 

• Select and apply appropriate benchmarks using PDP data 
• Identify both opportunities and limitations when benchmarking institutional performance 
• Analyze your institution’s performance relative to peer institutions 
• Connect benchmarking results to institutional student success priorities and strategic goals 

Are you curious about how to unlock the full potential of the PDP Cohort and Course Analysis-Ready (AR) files? In this hands-on workshop, we show you how to turn these datasets into actionable insights. You will: 

• Access and interpret the Cohort and Course AR files and how they will answer key student success questions 
• Explore a Power BI dashboard featuring institutional characteristics, Gateway Course metrics, credits earned, and completion timelines
• Use the dashboard in small groups using institutional data (or sample data) and discuss customization options 

Ready to go beyond what the dashboards show? This workshop introduces you to the powerful analysis-ready (AR) files available through the PDP—exportable datasets that let you dive deeper into the student experience. This workshop will enhance your analysis with deeper, customizable insights—extending the value of the dashboards by enabling broader exploration and tailored decision-making. You will learn how to:  

• Access and interpret cohort and course AR files  
• Merge PDP data with your own institutional data to uncover richer insights 
• Explore multifaceted trends in student performance and equity 
• Identify targeted outreach opportunities and strategies for improvement 

Traditional retention metrics tell only part of a story. The PDP dashboards go further and offer a more complete picture of student retention across the full first-year student population, including transfer and part-time students. Join AIR to learn how the PDP can help you uncover deeper insights and drive meaningful changes at your institution. In this workshop, you'll learn how to use the PDP to:  

• Move beyond narrow definitions of retention
• Identify patterns in student departure across time
• Explore data that better reflects the full student experience
• Develop actionable insights to support student success 

Ready to move from data to action? This workshop helps you operationalize the PDP to drive student-centered improvements at your institution. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) offers a proven structure for institutional effectiveness, and this workshop emphasizes how to use PDP data to fuel the process—ensuring your plans are both grounded in insight and built for impact. You will learn how to use PDP dashboards to: 

• Identify a pressing challenge facing a specific first-year student population 
• Construct a focused improvement plan
• Develop a communication strategy to share findings, build stakeholder buy-in, and support sustainable change 

Academic momentum matters—and the PDP can help you track it early. This workshop focuses on using PDP dashboards to interpret key early momentum metrics like credit load, credit progression, and credits earned—critical indicators of timely completion. You will gain the skills to turn early indicators into proactive student support and meaningful institutional change to: 

• Identify students at risk of losing academic momentum 
• Use data to inform early interventions and support strategies 
• Communicate findings to institutional stakeholders to drive action