Adding Context to Academic Library Assessment

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

Using the Integrated PostsecondaryEducation Data System (IPEDS) for Institutional and Comparative Statistics

John Cocklin, MLS, MBAGovernment Information LibrarianDartmouth College

Higher Education Amendments of 1992

Mandated the completion of IPEDS surveys in a timely and accurate manner for all institutions that participate, or are applicants for participation, in any federal student financial assistance program authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)(17)).

Other Sources of Data

Common Data Set – A collaboration among higher education data providers and publishers represented by the College Board, Peterson's, and U.S. News & World Report.

Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE) – For “selective, private colleges and universities.”

Offices of Institutional Research.

Data Tools

Executive Peer Tool = For simplified access to IPEDS data.

Peer Analysis System = The primary method of disseminating IPEDS data. All IPEDS data are released through the PAS.

Dataset Cutting Tool = Replaced the feature known as “dump a data set.”

Data Analysis System = Generates summary tables that provide sums, counts, and percentage estimates for 1 year of IPEDS data.

User ID and Password

User ID = your institution’s IPEDS #

Password = your institution’s IPEDS #

Then use your institution as the Focus Institution.

Variable Categories

Institutional Characteristics / Admissions / Student Charges

Enrollments Completions Graduation Rates Student Financial Aid Finance Human Resources

Variable - Finance

“Kernel of truth.”

Finance– Private not-for-profit institutions or Public institutions using FASB

Assets and liabilities     Plant, property and equipment     Student grants     Revenues and investment return     Expenses by functional and natural classification: Fiscal year 2002 to

current year     Total expenses and salaries wages expenses by function and total

expenses by natural classification: Fiscal year 1997 to current year     Endowment assets

Variable - Completions

Completions– Awards/degrees conferred by program (2000 CIP classification),

award level, race/ethnicity, and gender.  

Variable - Completions

Common Data Set definition of degrees conferred:

Calculate the percentage from your institution’s IPEDS Completions by using the sum of 1st  and 2nd majors for each CIP code as the numerator and the sum of the Grand Total by 1st Majors and the Grand Total by 2nd major as the denominator. If you prefer, you can compute the percentages using 1st majors only.

Source: Common Data Set 2008-08

http://www.commondataset.org/docs/0708/CDS2007_2008.htm

Variable Completions

The formula:

(1st CIP + 2nd CIP) / (GT1st + GT 2nd)

Variable - Completions

First or Second Major = First and Second.

Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code = Grand Total and Select All 2 digit.

Award Level Code = Bachelor’s Degree

Variable – Completions2 digit CIP

01-Agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences.

03-Natural resources and conservation.04-Architecture and related services.05-Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies.09-Communication, journalism, and related

programs.10-Communications technologies/technicians

and support services.11-Computer and information sciences and

support services.12-Personal and culinary services.13-Education.14-Engineering.15-Engineering technologies/technicians.16-Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics.19-Family and consumer sciences/human

sciences.22-Legal professions and studies.23-English language and literature/letters.24-Liberal arts and sciences, general studies

and humanities.25-Library science.26-Biological and biomedical sciences.27-Mathematics and statistics.

29-Military technologies.30-Multi/interdisciplinary studies.31-Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness

studies.38-Philosophy and religious studies.39-Theology and religious vocations.40-Physical sciences.41-Science technologies/technicians.42-Psychology.43-Security and protective services.44-Public administration and social service

professions.45-Social sciences.46-Construction trades.47-Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians.48-Precision production.49-Transportation and materials moving.50-Visual and performing arts.51-Health professions and related clinical

sciences.52-Business, management, marketing, and

related support services.54-History

Variable - Completions

Grand Total

Awards/Degrees conferred between July 1 and June 30 to all recipients, across all race/ethnicities and both genders.

Reports & Stats

Institutions Data Creates a report or file that includes the values of multiple selected variables for the focus institution and each of the comparison group institutions. The focus institution will be displayed at the top of the list. The comparison group institutions will follow, in UnitID order. This option is available whether you have selected a comparison group or not.

Statistical Summary Report Creates a report that calculates summary statistics from your comparison group using variables of your choice, and compares these statistics to the variable values of the focus institution. You can select this option only after you have selected a comparison group of at least three institutions.

Reports & Stats

You can download your results in comma delimited (.cvs) format.

The Dataset Cutting Tool allows the data to be downloaded with the files necessary to read the data in SPSS, SAS, or STATA.

% Bachelor's Degrees Conferred by Major FY 2005

  Dartmouth School X

Social sciences 29.27% 26.04%

History 9.83% 6.29%

Psychology 8.00% 6.49%

English language and literature/letters 7.16% 5.92%

Visual and performing arts 6.86% 5.20%

Biological and biomedical sciences 6.33% 8.49%

Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics 5.11% 4.64%

Engineering 4.57% 13.58%

Physical sciences 4.57% 3.59%

Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies 4.04% 3.72%

Philosophy and religious studies 4.04% 2.95%

Computer and information sciences and support services 2.90% 3.30%

Natural resources and conservation 2.74% 0.96%

Multi/interdisciplinary studies 2.36% 3.15%

Mathematics and statistics 2.06% 2.84%

Liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities 0.15% 0.36%

Architecture and related services 0.00% 0.44%

Business, management, marketing, and related support services. 0.00% 1.79%

Education 0.00% 0.26%

Combining ARL and IPEDS Statistics

Selected Resources

COFHEhttp://web.mit.edu/cofhe/

Common Data Sethttp://www.commondataset.org/

Gater, Denise S. Using National Data in University Rankings and Comparisons. The Center for Measuring University Performance (June 2003). http://mup.asu.edu/gaternatldata.pdf

Gater, Denise S., and Lombardi, John V. The Use of IPEDS/AAUP Faculty Data in Institutional Peer Comparisons. The Center for Measuring University Performance (September 2001). http://mup.asu.edu/gaterFaculty1.pdf

Selected Resources

IPEDS http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

Jones, D. Yvone. “How Much Do the ‘Best’ Colleges Spend on Libraries? Using College Rankings to Provide Library Financial Benchmarks.” College & Research Libraries (July 2007): 343-351.

Mezick, Elizabeth M. “Return on Investment: Libraries and Student Retention.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 33, no. 5 (September 2007): 561-566.