Transcript A Tale of Two Libraries and a Search Engine

Adding Context to Academic Library
Assessment
“Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
Using the Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System (IPEDS) for
Institutional and Comparative Statistics
John Cocklin, MLS, MBA
Government Information Librarian
Dartmouth College
Higher Education Amendments of 1992
Mandated the completion of IPEDS surveys in a
timely and accurate manner for all institutions that
participate, or are applicants for participation, in any
federal student financial assistance program
authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of
1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)(17)).
Other Sources of Data

Common Data Set – A collaboration among higher
education data providers and publishers represented
by the College Board, Peterson's, and U.S. News &
World Report.

Consortium on Financing Higher Education
(COFHE) – For “selective, private colleges and
universities.”

Offices of Institutional Research.
Data Tools

Executive Peer Tool = For simplified access to IPEDS data.

Peer Analysis System = The primary method of disseminating
IPEDS data. All IPEDS data are released through the PAS.

Dataset Cutting Tool = Replaced the feature known as “dump a
data set.”

Data Analysis System = Generates summary tables that
provide sums, counts, and percentage estimates for 1 year of
IPEDS data.
User ID and Password

User ID = your institution’s IPEDS #

Password = your institution’s IPEDS #

Then use your institution as the Focus Institution.
Variable Categories
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Institutional Characteristics / Admissions / Student
Charges
Enrollments
Completions
Graduation Rates
Student Financial Aid
Finance
Human Resources
Variable - Finance

“Kernel of truth.”

Finance
–
Private not-for-profit institutions or Public institutions using FASB
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Assets and liabilities
Plant, property and equipment
Student grants
Revenues and investment return
Expenses by functional and natural classification: Fiscal year 2002 to
current year
Total expenses and salaries wages expenses by function and total
expenses by natural classification: Fiscal year 1997 to current year
Endowment assets
Variable - Completions

Completions
–
Awards/degrees conferred by program (2000 CIP classification),
award level, race/ethnicity, and gender.
Variable - Completions
Common Data Set definition of degrees conferred:
Calculate the percentage from your institution’s IPEDS Completions by
using the sum of 1st and 2nd majors for each CIP code as the
numerator and the sum of the Grand Total by 1st Majors and the
Grand Total by 2nd major as the denominator. If you prefer, you can
compute the percentages using 1st majors only.
Source: Common Data Set 2008-08
http://www.commondataset.org/docs/0708/CDS2007_2008.htm
Variable Completions
The formula:
(1st CIP + 2nd CIP) / (GT1st + GT 2nd)
Variable - Completions

First or Second Major = First and Second.

Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code = Grand
Total and Select All 2 digit.

Award Level Code = Bachelor’s Degree
Variable – Completions
2 digit CIP
01-Agriculture, agriculture operations, and
related sciences.
03-Natural resources and conservation.
04-Architecture and related services.
05-Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies.
09-Communication, journalism, and related
programs.
10-Communications technologies/technicians
and support services.
11-Computer and information sciences and
support services.
12-Personal and culinary services.
13-Education.
14-Engineering.
15-Engineering technologies/technicians.
16-Foreign languages, literatures, and
linguistics.
19-Family and consumer sciences/human
sciences.
22-Legal professions and studies.
23-English language and literature/letters.
24-Liberal arts and sciences, general studies
and humanities.
25-Library science.
26-Biological and biomedical sciences.
27-Mathematics and statistics.
29-Military technologies.
30-Multi/interdisciplinary studies.
31-Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness
studies.
38-Philosophy and religious studies.
39-Theology and religious vocations.
40-Physical sciences.
41-Science technologies/technicians.
42-Psychology.
43-Security and protective services.
44-Public administration and social service
professions.
45-Social sciences.
46-Construction trades.
47-Mechanic and repair
technologies/technicians.
48-Precision production.
49-Transportation and materials moving.
50-Visual and performing arts.
51-Health professions and related clinical
sciences.
52-Business, management, marketing, and
related support services.
54-History
Variable - Completions

Grand Total
Awards/Degrees conferred between July 1 and June
30 to all recipients, across all race/ethnicities and
both genders.
Reports & Stats
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Institutions Data
Creates a report or file that includes the values of multiple selected
variables for the focus institution and each of the comparison group
institutions. The focus institution will be displayed at the top of the list.
The comparison group institutions will follow, in UnitID order. This
option is available whether you have selected a comparison group or
not.
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Statistical Summary Report
Creates a report that calculates summary statistics from your
comparison group using variables of your choice, and compares these
statistics to the variable values of the focus institution. You can select
this option only after you have selected a comparison group of at least
three institutions.
Reports & Stats

You can download your results in comma delimited (.cvs)
format.

The Dataset Cutting Tool allows the data to be downloaded with
the files necessary to read the data in SPSS, SAS, or STATA.
% Bachelor's Degrees Conferred by Major FY 2005
Dartmouth
Social sciences
School X
29.27%
26.04%
History
9.83%
6.29%
Psychology
8.00%
6.49%
English language and literature/letters
7.16%
5.92%
Visual and performing arts
6.86%
5.20%
Biological and biomedical sciences
6.33%
8.49%
Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics
5.11%
4.64%
Engineering
4.57%
13.58%
Physical sciences
4.57%
3.59%
Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies
4.04%
3.72%
Philosophy and religious studies
4.04%
2.95%
Computer and information sciences and support services
2.90%
3.30%
Natural resources and conservation
2.74%
0.96%
Multi/interdisciplinary studies
2.36%
3.15%
Mathematics and statistics
2.06%
2.84%
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities
0.15%
0.36%
Architecture and related services
0.00%
0.44%
Business, management, marketing, and related support services.
0.00%
1.79%
Education
0.00%
0.26%
Combining ARL and IPEDS Statistics
Selected Resources

COFHE
http://web.mit.edu/cofhe/
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Common Data Set
http://www.commondataset.org/

Gater, Denise S. Using National Data in University Rankings and
Comparisons. The Center for Measuring University Performance (June
2003). http://mup.asu.edu/gaternatldata.pdf

Gater, Denise S., and Lombardi, John V. The Use of IPEDS/AAUP
Faculty Data in Institutional Peer Comparisons. The Center for
Measuring University Performance (September 2001).
http://mup.asu.edu/gaterFaculty1.pdf
Selected Resources

IPEDS
http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

Jones, D. Yvone. “How Much Do the ‘Best’ Colleges Spend on
Libraries? Using College Rankings to Provide Library Financial
Benchmarks.” College & Research Libraries (July 2007): 343-351.

Mezick, Elizabeth M. “Return on Investment: Libraries and Student
Retention.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 33, no. 5 (September
2007): 561-566.