Lessons Learned

TAIR Conference 2009

Jerry ScheererDean, Research and Planning

Mountain View College214-860-8735 jscheerer@dcccd.edu

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