Using data strategically to guide decisions and actions can have a positive effect on education practices and processes. This facilitation guide shows education data teams how to move beyond simply reporting data to applying data to direct strategic action. Using guiding questions, suggested activities, and activity forms, this guide provides…

The role that part-time faculty play in higher education is changing. No longer are part-time faculty used on an occasional basis at a few institutions. These individuals now play a critical part in the delivery of higher education to students. This study was developed to answer questions regarding how the performance of adjunct faculty is…

Lists nine steps camps can follow to insure successful use of national forests. Steps are identifying national forest resources; matching expectations with the right setting; using recreation opportunity guides; planning for safety; practicing forest etiquette; practicing fire prevention; knowing the forest environment; participating in volunteer…

Discussion of public access microcomputer service areas in public libraries covers walk-in access, software/hardware circulation, online call-in services, and special programs. Principles for successful public access programs are also discussed, including hardware/software selection. Problems relating to equipment breakdown, diskette storage, and…

Examines two studies (n=18, n=103) of high school students' approaches to college choice, using a "brand elimination" approach to consumer decision making and analyzing each stage of the student decision process. A salient finding was that different sources of information are important to the student at different stages of college selection. (MSE)

Guidelines for college staff who have been assigned a new role of planning are presented. Advice for assessing the situation at the campus and developing a planning strategy is offered, and a framework for analyzing the planners' role, institutional needs, and planning activities is suggested. A bibliographic "roadmap" for the field of…

Early development of college fact books, with origins in statistical reports of organizations, parallels the development of institutional research. The fact book, most visible of all institutional research reports, reflects the accomplishments and status of institutional research as an integral part of higher education, as data and decision-making…

This report examines how students, especially those with high abilities, choose a college based on information from four areas: (1) published research comparing various schools' subjects as well as some unpublished comparative data from various sources; (2) young adult fiction that deals with issues related to college choice; (3) media accounts of…

The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) has produced a national study of public two-year college finances useful as an institutional planning tool. The report consists of four products: a fiscal year 1995 national sample of data; a more detailed analysis facilitating comparison of college peer groups; a…

An issues-oriented framework for selecting data to support typical state-level planning analyses is presented. Attention is focused on questions concerning the planning issues, and the general data requirements required to support a given state's analytical questions and decision requirements. State-level planning issues in postsecondary education…

A new model for college fact books is proposed, to create a new generation of institutional research reports that offer more comparative and unit- or topic-specific information, with illustrations, that would be useful for current decision-making needs. (MSE)

Legal information concerning Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) that college presidents may find helpful in establishing policies and procedures is provided in a paper by the general counsel of the American Council on Education. Sources of medical information, including the American College Health Association, hotlines, and federal…

The concepts of need and needs assessment are examined in the context of information needs for college administrators. A description is included of the conceptual framework underlying the Needs Assessment Information System (NAIS), which was developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Attention is directed to: (1)…

This document uses a question-and-answer format in clarifying the meaning and use of the term "informed clinical opinion," which appears in the regulatory requirements for the implementation of Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments 1986 (Public Law 99-457) as an integral part of an eligibility determination. The paper…

Presented is a comprehensive guide to college planning principles and strategies designed for administrators new to the instructional planning function. An introductory section encourages new planners to understand the characteristics of planning and successful planners, understand different types of planning, appreciate the importance of all of…