lessons learned tair conference 2009 jerry scheerer dean, research and planning mountain view...
TRANSCRIPT
Lessons Learned
TAIR Conference 2009
Jerry Scheerer
Dean, Research and Planning
Mountain View College
214-860-8735 [email protected]
http://www.mountainviewcollege.edu/sites/ie/default.aspx
Overview• Background
• Context
• Presentation
• IR Toolbox
• Time Management
• Other Lessons Learned
Background
• Air Force
• Coordinating Board
• Adjunct Faculty
• Victoria College
• Bakersfield College
• Mountain View College
Context-Context-Context
• Research-Analysis-Statistics can be misleading, meaningless, or wrong unless put into context
• Foundational IR role is communicating descriptive statistics within context
Context-Context-Context
• Context is answering the question “Relative to what?”
• Relative to our college’s:– Mission and Goals – Educational programs & services– Students– Audience– Trends & those of Peer institutions
Context-Context-Context
• Percent change – relative to what?
• Term statistics - relative to:– Trends– Unduplicated student headcount– Duplicated student course
enrollments– Be careful of small “Ns”
Context-Context-Context
How?• Know your institution
• Know your audience
• Know your data
• Never let a statistic stand alone – tell its story
Presentations Must Communicate• Consider your audience • Begin with an executive summary
and drill down• Reader friendly formatting• Define key terminology• Don’t forget the context!
Presentation
Build & maintain an IR Tool Box.• Accessible data
• Consistent terminology - definitions
• Useful recurring reports
• Use the Internet
• Earn your customers trust
IR Tool Box
Accessible data are imperative• Real-time and historical trends • Consistent structure & definitions• At a minimum:
– Student demographic records (undup)– Student course enrollment (dup)– Graduate; and financial aid records
• Note about transactional databases
IR Tool Box
Consistent terminology/definitions• Retention
• Success
• Completer
• Graduate
IR Tool Box
Useful recurring reports• Enrollment update • Enrollment change analysis• Grade distribution• FTIC student profile• Financial aid student profile• Graduate profile
IR Tool Box
Use the Internet. Save trees.• Share your work online
• Create a user-friendly, easy to navigate front page
• Train your customers to use it
IR Tool Box
Earn your customers trust.• Always strive for accuracy, and
don’t be too proud to admit mistakes
• Always respect and protect faculty specific data
• Get ‘engaged’ in your college
IR Tool Box
Work smarter not harder• Learn what/who is important at your
institution
• “Help” customers define requests
• Use your IR Tool Box
• Ask for help
Time Management
Other Lessons
• Cannot explain what I do for a living
• Texas is better than California
• Beware of the “AIR Job Postings” web site link