Transcript Slide 1

The Need for a PhD in
Institutional Research
John Willse
The University of North Carolina
at Greensboro
Why We Need a PhD in
Institutional Research (IR)
• There are currently no doctoral programs with an explicit focus on
Institutional Research (IR), but almost every institution of higher
education has an institutional research function.
• IR offices have traditionally been staffed by persons holding
doctoral (or Master’s) degrees from related disciplines in the social
sciences
– Many professionals are master’s level and may come from programs in
Higher Education or related fields.
• Professionals develop many of the skills they need “on the job”
– Positions in IR are becoming increasingly specialized, making this ad
hoc training inadequate.
• The need for IR professionals will only increase with ongoing
changes to accreditation (and general accountability) requirements.
– Regional accrediting bodies (e.g., Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools) now place more emphasis on institutional effectiveness than
ever before.
Why We Need a PhD in
Institutional Research (IR)
• IR jobs essentially work on an apprenticeship
system.
• Individuals are hired based on how few skills
they lack.
– New hires usually have one, or at best two, of the
three competency areas needed in an institutional
researcher.
• Current educational programs do not provide
the correct compliment of courses.
– If there were a program that prepared professionals
with these skills, they would be highly attractive
candidates upon graduation.
IR Functions are Broad
IR is often tasked with
• Collecting/cleaning institutional data
– Requiring knowledge of information systems
•
•
•
•
Performing outcomes assessment
Performing forms of program evaluation
Presenting results and summaries
Disseminating information (often via the Web)
IR products are most valuable when
• When knowledgeable professionals are part of the
process that defines the product
• Results are presented in a broader context
Is IR a Discipline?
• The Association for Institutional Research (AIR), the
primary professional organization for institutional
research professionals, provides a good example of the
growth of this field.
• AIR began with 46 people in 1965 and has grown to a
membership of 3,100.
– Last year 1,700 people attended the AIR National Forum.
• Institutional Research has grown into a distinct
discipline with its own scholarly products.
• AIR publishes and sponsors a number of publications:
Resources in Institutional Research, Research in Higher
Education, New Directions for Institutional Research, Higher
Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, and the Journal
of Higher Education.
Extant Programs
• Starting in 2001, AIR partnered with the National Center
for Education Statistics to develop graduate certificate
programs that would teach skills that would advance
institutional research and the use of national data sets
(e.g., IPEDS).
• The certificate programs offer training in higher
education and assessment studies, statistics and
methods, data base design and management, Web page
design and management, and effective reporting.
– These are the same skills on which we focus for the proposed
degree program.
• Review of these certificate programs shows that they
rely on one or two courses for each skill area
– Totaling only 18 credit hours
The Focus of the
UNCG Program in IR
This program will give students the skills they need to
• serve as a partner with administrators and faculty in
developing research about the effectiveness of an
institution of higher education
• engage in effective analysis of educational data to
answer specific empirical questions
• perform reporting for accountability purposes
• create, administer, and analyze surveys
• design and implement student outcomes assessment
plans
• utilize student information systems
• use the Internet and related technologies as a reporting
tool
Interdisciplinary Approach
• The program objectives draw on what are normally considered distinct
disciplines.
• Empirical research design and analysis provides a foundation for the
degree.
– Courses will be provided by the Department of Educational Research
Methodology.
• If institutional researchers are to be partners in the process of determining
institutional needs, defining research questions, and interpreting results in
the context of student learning and development, than institutional
researchers need to have a broad understanding of higher education in the
United States.
– The Department of Curriculum and Instruction (Higher Ed Faculty) will provide
coursework in those areas.
• If institutional researchers are to be savvy users of student information
systems, national educational databases, and Internet based reporting tools
they need appropriate training.
– The Department of Information Systems and Operations Management will
provide coursework in those areas.
• The program/students will be actively involved in relevant professional
offices on campus and across the NC.
Draft Curriculum
• We are still obtaining permission to plan
from GA
– So our curriculum is likely to change
• We currently envision the research
methodology to be the anchor for the
program
• Higher education course and Information
Sciences are each a major component
Curriculum and Instruction
Higher Education Courses (CUI)
CUI 602: Theoretical Foundations of Higher Learning E
CUI 607: Adult Learning and College Teaching E
CUI 606: Administration in Higher Education
CUI 661: Higher Education in the US
CUI 663: Program Planning in Postsecondary Education
CUI 745: Higher Education: Equity, Inclusion, and
Learning E
• CUI 751: Public Policy in Higher Education
• CUI 753: Accountability in Higher Education
•
•
•
•
•
•
• 15 hrs required + Up to 6 additional hours of potential electives
• “P” indicates Prerequisite
– possibly obtained in a Master’s program
• “E” indicates Elective
Educational Research
Methodology (ERM)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ERM 667: Foundations of Educational Measurement
ERM 668: Survey Research Methods
ERM 680: Intermediate Statistical Methods P
ERM 681: Design and Analysis of Educational Experiments P
ERM 682: Multivariate Statistics
ERM 728: Factor Analysis and MDS or
ERM 731: Structural Equation Modeling
ERM 732: Hierarchical Linear Modeling
ERM 604: Methods of Educational Research P
ERM 642: Program Evaluation P
ERM 643: Applied Program Evaluation
ERM 675: Data Presentation and Reporting E
• 15 hours required + Up to 18 additional hours of potential prerequisites or
electives
• “P” indicates Prerequisite
– possibly obtained in a Master’s program
• “E” indicates Elective
Information Systems Operation
Management (All classes 1.5 hrs)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ISM 600. Desktop Data Management Tools
ISM 601. Business Processes and Technology
ISM 602. Business Data Systems
ISM 603: Web Design and Development
ISM 610: Enterprise Information Systems and
Data Warehousing
ISM 611: Data Mining
ISM 654. Project Management E
ISM 657. Knowledge Management E
9 hrs + Up to 3 additional hours of potential
electives
When Will the
Program Be Available?
• If we are given permission to plan this program
could be available by in Spring 2008 or Fall 2009
• Once permission to plan is obtained we may
begin recruiting students to take courses before
the program is officially open
– The program would not be guaranteed to become an
official program at that point
• Flexibility with our current program allows us to
provide similar course offerings right now
– Our current program does require more
measurement courses than most IR practitioners
would need
Questions
• Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
• We are particularly interested in what you have to say
about what would make a meaningful curriculum
John T Willse
[email protected]
336-334-3435
Assistant Professor
Educational Research Methodology
University of North Carolina at Greensboro