This paper analyzes the research performance evolution of a scientific institute, from its genesis through various stages of development. The main aim is to obtain, and visually represent, bibliometric evidence of the correlation of organizational changes on the development of its scientific performance; particularly, structural and leadership…

The way that graphs can be used to make calculations that are commonly used by institutional researchers is described using specific examples, and the technique of constructing computational graphs (and nomographs) is outlined. It is shown that once a calculation involving several variables has been represented by a computation diagram or a…

Designed to help institutional researchers transform data into useful information, this paper discusses principles for presenting research results to administrators in the top levels of management. The first section describes ten fundamental principles of data presentation: knowing what information is needed; knowing when the information is…

This paper reports on applications of quality tools, developed for industrial settings, to educational management and instruction at three technical education centers. The necessary data were collected by the centers as they prepared for registration to the International Standards Organization Quality Assurance Standards. Application was made of…

The relationships between the size of units within institutes, departments, and schools and their teaching, research, and service outputs or the structure of their resources was investigated at two national institutes of technology funded by the government of Switzerland. Resources and outputs were measured in terms of total expenditures, hours of…

In the context of the discipline of quality control, this paper identifies many of the tools which may reinvigorate the statistical and graphical toolkits in higher education. Certain statistical and graphical issues are discussed by means of examples and hypothetical situations, and techniques are introduced that have application for the pursuit…

This monograph is a guide to effective presentation of report data and information from institutional research. The work focuses on several types of presentation: the written report (alternative ways for presenting information, appearance, and the audience); graphic displays or charts (to present words or data in an organized or symbolic fashion;…

Interest in Total Quality Management (TQM) at institutions of higher education has been stressed in recent years as an important area of activity for institutional researchers. Two previous AIR Forum papers have presented some of the statistical and graphical methods used for TQM. This paper, the third in the series, first discusses some of the…

Drawing on four examples of institutional research undertaken at San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC), this paper offers six principles to help researchers make their work more relevant and to enable decision makers to utilize research more effectively. The research examples provide brief descriptions of the need for, methodology of, and findings of…

A modified form of vector analysis is examined that was applied to graphs depicting the number of undergraduate student credit hours taken by majors and nonmajors in each of 18 arts and sciences departments. The analysis permitted the identification of instructional service strategies adopted by various academic units and the evaluation of the…

Interviews with 814 applicants for admission to the University of Washington who were not offered admission, or who did not enroll, were conducted during the summer and autumn of 1978. The respondents, whether or not they met admission criteria, were highly similar in characteristics of background, career aspiration, and alternative educational…