Colleges have increasingly turned to predictive analytics to target at-risk students for additional support. Most of the predictive analytic applications in higher education are proprietary, with private companies offering little transparency about their underlying models. We address this lack of transparency by systematically comparing two…

Institutions are applying methods and practices from data analytics under the umbrella term of "learning analytics" to inform instruction, library practices, and institutional research, among other things. This study reports findings from interviews with professional advisors at a public higher education institution. It reports their…

This article examines the use of institutional research data on tertiary academic success of students in the first-year Biology program at the University of Canterbury in relation to their secondary school performance in English, Mathematics with Statistics, Biology and Chemistry. This study was commissioned by the School of Biological Sciences to…

The Community College Student Report (CCSR) is a widely-used survey instrument. This article examines the reliability and validity of the instrument to assess its usefulness in institutional research and practice. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrate that factor analytic models adequately represent underlying constructs. Confirmatory factor…

Using empirical research methods to segment alumni markets, profile donors, prioritize prospects, and project realistic budgets becomes more important as fundraising goals expand. Projecting alumni growth and its impact on program and budget planning, profiling donors and nondonors, and ranking prospects are discussed. (MLW)

This paper describes a procedure for smoothing the proportions of a double-entry expectancy table which might be used in higher education admissions advising or other functions. The product of the smoothing procedure is a nomograph, a medium for displaying expectancies which provides pairs of individual values for two predictor variables rather…

Research results concerning determinants of organizational effectiveness of colleges are presented, and concerns pertaining to this type of research are addressed. A major research question is whether the study of institutional effectiveness can identify indicators of long-term organizational viability. In 1980, organizational effectiveness was…

This study of Los Angeles City College (LACC) attrition examined characteristics of 397 randomly selected students who entered in the fall of 1967. Summaries of the more important findings follow. Ninety per cent of the sample population persisted through the first semester, though only sixteen per cent returned to complete a fifth semester.…

A survey of 167 institutions engaged in the regional reaccreditation process between 1987 and 1992 revealed that the presence of institutional research activities was positively related to the institution carrying out a systematic assessment of institutional effectiveness. (Author/MLW)

Survey data concerning teacher education program graduates were used to demonstrate the advantages of a stratified random sampling approach, with followup, relative to a one-shot mailing to an entire population. Sampling issues involved in such an approach are addressed, particularly with regard to quantifying the effects of nonresponse on the…

Increasing demands for accurate forecasts in such areas as student enrollment, energy expenditures, and facility capacity are placing new demands on the institutional researcher. A variety of forecasting models and methods are available, all to be used with caution in long-range forecasting. (Author/MSE)

The relationship between personality characteristics and academic success of college freshmen at a predominantly female campus was studied, using the Myers-Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) to measure personality and first-year grade point average to measure academic success. The comparative effectiveness of the MBTI and the traditional predictors…

The number of regression studies being employed in sex discrimination cases is increasing. The need for caution in the case of multiple regression must be emphasized. Statistical concerns in sex discrimination cases are highlighted. (MLW)

This paper explores the need for a better understanding of the influences of prices and student aid on student enrollment and college budgets. The theory of net price has not been found to adequately explain changes in enrollment. Based on a critical review of recent research on student price response, this paper develops an alternative approach…

A technique is described for private liberal arts colleges to assess the probable matriculation behavior of admitted applicants. By performing a multiple discriminate analysis of data obtained from applicants admitted during a previous admissions season, and applying the information to a decision-making strategy used in political elections the…