Burden or Benefit

by Powers, Kristina; Henderson, Angela E.

• ISBN13: 9781119257066
• ISBN10: 1119257069
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-02-08
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub

Summary

Blazing new trails in the area of reporting and transparency? Required and voluntary reporting of student data to external agencies has increased in volume, quantity, and complexity, and understanding the scope of reporting requirements and the associated burden is critical to higher education practitioners. This volume focuses on new directions in institutional reporting--and the associated burden.

The convergence of increased reporting coupled with the demand to be more efficient with resources in a saturated and competitive higher education market make this a timely and needed volume for higher education administrators.

This is the 166th volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

Author Biography

Kristina Powers is Associate Vice President of Institutional Research Services at Bridgepoint Education.

Angela E. Henderson is Associate Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Stetson University.

Table of Contents

EDITORS’ NOTES 7
Kristina Powers, Angela E. Henderson

1. Transparency for Whom? Impacts of Accountability Movements for Institutional Researchers and Beyond 11
P. Daniel Chen, R. Michael Haynes

This chapter explores external reporting as a tool to increase institutional transparency and suggests guiding questions for institutional consideration.

2. Growth of Burden in Federal and State Reporting 23
Angela E. Henderson

This chapter discusses the expanding demands of prominent federal and state reporting requirements and the resulting impact on institutional research.

3. Burden in the Eye of the Beholder: Why Should Administration Care? 35
Yanli Ma, James Kulich, Shouping Hu

An examination of differing perspectives on the value of external reporting illustrates how perception influences the quality of data reporting.

4. Maximizing Institutional Research Impact Through Building Relationships and Collaborating Within the Institution 47
Yvonne Kochera Kirby, Nancy D. Floyd

This chapter examines the necessity of developing partnerships within and outside of the institution to ensure consistent, correct, and timely data for optimal institutional decision making.

5. Easing the Burden of External Reporting 61
Marc F. LoGrasso

This chapter provides suggestions for improving the effectiveness of external reporting while minimizing burden.

6. Benchmarking—Current Availability, Possible New National Alternatives, and Making a Contribution to the Discussion 73
Eric S. Atchison, Braden J. Hosch

This chapter discusses the benefits, limitations, and burdens of Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System data collection, alternative approaches, and possible implications of these approaches.

7. Guidebooks and Rankings: The Value of Optional External Reporting 89
Julia Carpenter-Hubin, Liana Crisan-Vandeborne

A discussion of the benefits and costs of participation in optional external reporting is accompanied by considerations for determining if benefits justify dedication of resources.

8. Future of External Reporting 101
Kristina Powers

This chapter examines the impact of external reporting growth on institutional researchers and provides considerations for dealing with future reporting demands.

INDEX 111