New report on scarcity of “useful” postsecondary data details what questions higher-ed institutions should answer

questions, institutions, dataAccording to a new report, there are basic questions institutions, with access to internal data, need to be able to answer—for themselves and for prospective students and the community. It’s up to institutions, notes the report, to help combat rising college costs and stagnating rates of completion through better collection and dissemination of data.

The report, “Mapping the Postsecondary Data Domain: Problems and Possibilities,”produced by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, says that while seemingly straightforward questions, such as “Which students have access to which colleges,” can’t easily be answered with current data available.

“A careful mapping of federal data systems against these questions shows that while we have a solid base of understanding in some areas, we fall far short in others,” notes the report.

And though many voluntary data initiatives have arisen in recent years to help fill these gaps, the report emphasizes that there is still a ways to go before critical questions can be answered.

“Colleges and universities hold a wealth of data beyond what is reported to governmental agencies, or even to voluntary initiatives or accrediting bodies,” notes the report. “And research has shown that deliberate use of that data as part of a data-driven culture can be the impetus for substantial improvements in student outcomes.”

(Next page: 4 questions institutions must answer)

To develop effective institution- and department-level policies, colleges and universities need more specific, “fine-grained data” on student progression than are necessary for policymakers and students, says the report.

Questions higher-ed must answer are:

1. What is the successful credit accumulation by semester or year?

2. What is the year-to-year (or semester-to-semester) persistence?

3. What are the developmental course completion rates, disaggregated by developmental education needs?

4. What are the courses with high drop, failure, or withdrawal rates?

The report explains that, minimally, each metric should be disaggregated by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other indicators of interest for the campus.

“Close analysis of these key benchmarks can help institutions identify and remove early roadblocks to student success and change policies to smooth the pathway to a credential,” says the report. “Such improvement requires not only data collection, but also close and continued coordination between the institutional research office and other key departments, such as student affairs, academic affairs, and financial aid.”

Outside of internal data, the report notes that institutions need access to better national databases to best form policy and improve their campuses.

Databases should include information on which students have access to which colleges; how many—and which—students complete college; how much college costs, and how students pay; and what outcomes students experience after college in the workplace and society, notes the report.

For more information on what data sources are available now; the difference in questions for students, consumers, and institutions; and how data can be sorted by measure, data and interface, read the report.

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