At IEHE we are excited about RealityCheck, our new data analytic tool. VERY excited. (You may have noticed :) ) So, what is this tool? With anything new, there is a little bit of a learning curve – but in this case – well worth it....
Many higher education professionals have heard of the phrase “Student Right to Know” (SRTK). However, did you know (pun intended) – about an important SRTK component: Athletic Graduation Rates? Read that again – note the word Athletic. Some institutions gloss over this really important word,...
These are unusual times. Most campus leaders are consumed with decision-making and planning surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. The plans you may have had on your calendar are no longer there. And some people and departments are in limbo. Many of us are awaiting further instructions and...
As an institutional researcher, I have never gotten a 2:00 a.m. phone call notifying me of a data emergency. I’ve never been asked to come to campus immediately to assist the data crisis response team or make pivot tables. Never. However – my colleagues in...
We all have a favorite holiday or event that occurs annually. Though it comes the same time every year, it always seems to sneak up. But every year, you'll tell yourself the same story. “Next year, I’ll start my shopping early.” And, just like the...
Sometimes it feels like reports detailing college and university data might as well be written in a foreign language. Lots of numbers, tons of bar graphs, size 5 font. Footnotes aplenty. And data questions galore. Reports are jam-packed with so much information that it's hard to identify key takeaways. And it’s often a challenge to even...
We all have strengths … and weaknesses. It feels much better to think about the strengths, though. Who wants to really dwell on their weaknesses? It takes a lot more energy, and certainly doesn’t feel very good. So, it’s no wonder why people bump “address institutional weaknesses”...
The IPEDS - Outcome Measures (IPEDS-OM) data. It still feels new. And it may feel particularly new if you haven’t had time to explore it yet. But actually – it isn’t THAT new. IPEDS-OM has been around since 2015-16. So, if this "seems new-but...
It’s easier said than done. College and university leaders want (and need) to piece together data into an understandable narrative. It’s important to be able to tell your institution’s student success story in a way that grabs the listener’s attention. But while that sounds simple, it is often anything but. In striving to tell a better...
Every college or university has a Board. They go by slightly different names, Board of Trustees, Board of Regents, Board of Governors. We use the generic term “Board” to refer to all these groups. Boards are primarily comprised of people who are NOT experts in...
