A new service of the Higher Education Data Policy Committee (HEDPC), IR in the Know keeps you up-to-date on current and emerging issues related to higher education data collection, analyses, and reporting.

Each month IR in the Know focuses on data and policy issues relevant to institutional researchers such as accountability, assessment, accreditation, NCES, federal legislation, and national databases. Each issue will include a brief issue summary and links to more detailed information.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions. If you discover a resource or article you think might be useful to other IR professionals, please send an e-mail to irintheknow@airweb.org.

December Highlights

NILOA Occasional Papers on Learning Outcomes Assessment

The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessments (NILOA) has released two Occasional Papers. The first paper, Assessment, Accountability, and Improvement: Revisiting the Tension by Peter Ewell, analyzes changes in assessment over the past two decades and offers suggestions to institutions on how to manage the persistent tension between the twin purposes of assessment in the current higher education environment. To access the paper, click here: http://www.learningoutcomesassessment.org/occasionalpaperone.htm.

In the second paper, Three Promising Alternatives for Assessing College Students' Knowledge and Skills, authors Trudy Banta, Merilee Griffin, Teresa Flateby, and Susan Kahn describe the development of several promising “authentic” assessment approaches. The contributors draw on their rich assessment experience to illustrate how portfolios, common analytic rubrics, and online assessment communities can more effectively link assessment practices to pedagogy. To access the paper, click here: http://www.learningoutcomesassessment.org/occasionalpapertwo.htm.

The NILOA Web site also provides a comprehensive resource for news and information on learning outcomes assessment. http://www.learningoutcomeassessment.org/.

New Higher Education Data Web site: College InSight
The Institute for College Access and Success launched a new Web site in November to provide information on college affordability, student debt, economic and racial diversity, and student success. Information can be browsed for over 5,000 schools and compared across institutions, institution types, states, and other custom groupings. http://college-insight.org/.

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
In early November, NSSE released the report, Assessment for Improvement: Tracking Student Engagement Over Time, based on findings from the tenth annual National Survey of Student Engagement. The 2009 report also examines trends in student engagement going back to 2004.

The premise behind NSSE is that student engagement, i.e., the frequency with which students participate in activities that represent effective educational practice, is a meaningful indicator of collegiate quality. NSSE collects data from first-year students and seniors about the nature and quality of their undergraduate experience including academic programs and co-curricular activities. The results provide data on how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college. Institutions use their NSSE data to assess and improve the undergraduate experience, to inform state accountability and accreditation efforts, and to facilitate national benchmarking efforts. The information is also used by prospective college students, their parents, and advisers in the college decision-making process.

The NSSE Web site, www.nsse.iub.edu, provides information about the history of NSSE, administering the survey, and how to use the results.

Using NSSE in Institutional Research: New Directions for Institutional Research
Using NSSE in Institutional Research, edited by Robert M. Gonyea and George D. Kuh, discusses how student engagement data can help institutions satisfy the demand for more evidence, accountability, and transparency of student and institutional performance. It addresses how colleges and universities can use NSSE data in their accreditation, planning, and assessment activities. It also provides information on analyzing and interpreting NSSE data and using the results.
Gonyea, R. M. & Kuh, G. D. (Eds.). (2009). Using NSSE in institutional research [Special issue]. New Directions for Institutional Research, 14.