A 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 with a brief summary of topics and links
to more detailed information. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. If you find
a resource or article you think might be useful to other IR professionals, please
send an email to irintheknow@airweb.org.
Grapevine
The FY2010 Grapevine survey results on financial support for higher education
are now available. Data tables can be found at the Grapevine website, showing trends in the support since fiscal year
2004‐05 for both tax and nontax monies. A table factoring in local tax monies used
to support higher education is also included. Grapevine is produced by
Illinois State University’s Center for the Study of Education Policy in cooperation
with the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) and has published annual
summaries of state fiscal support for higher education since 1960.
Update on State Budget Cuts
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released “An Update on State Budget Cuts”.
The report
indicates that governor’s are already proposing budget cuts for the 2011 fiscal
year beyond those that have been enacted to date. Proposed budgets in almost half
of the states reflect the continued financial challenges that states will face in
the upcoming fiscal year. The report foreshadows budget cuts to a variety of state
services, including higher education. Arizona, California, Hawaii, Washington, and
Wyoming are among other states reporting potential cuts for FY 2011.
2009 CIRP Freshman Survey
The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) released its 2009 Freshman
Norms report in late January. The report is based on responses of 219,864 first-time,
full-time students at 297 baccalaureate colleges and universities. Click here to view a summary or order a copy of The American
Freshman: National Norms Fall 2009 (J.H. Pryor, S. Hurtado, L. DeAngelo,
L. Palucki Blake, & S. Tran).
Administered at the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA, CIRP is
the largest and longest-running survey of American college students. The survey
collects baseline data on demographics, academic preparation, college finances,
aspirations, and attitudes and values. The CIRP survey is used to analyze topics
such as admissions and recruitment practices, retention, and curriculum and programs.
Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009
Learning on Demand: Online Education in the Unites States, 2009 is the
seventh annual Sloan Survey on online education. The survey, a collaborative effort
between the Babson Survey Research Group, the College Board and the Sloan Consortium,
addresses key issues related to online enrollment: What is online learning? How
many students are learning online? What is the impact of the economy on online education?
Is online learning strategic? Has faculty acceptance of online increased? Do faculty
receive training for teaching online? Copies of the 2009 report are available from
the Sloan Consortium.
Cost Return Calculator
A one-year pilot project, Investing in Student Success, funded by Walmart
Foundation and Lumina Foundation for Education, has developed a “cost-return calculator”
to allow programs to evaluate the cost effectiveness of their student retention
programs. Institutions can enter data on program costs and outcomes to measure what
percentage of program costs are recouped by additional revenue associated with increased
student retention. Three types of data are needed: (1) student retention data and
comparison group data; (2) information on staffing and spending for the program;
and (3) financial data. Click
here to download the Cost-return Calculator.