1. Lessons Learned TAIR Conference 2009 Jerry Scheerer Dean, Research and Planning Mountain View College 214-860-8735 jscheerer@dcccd.edu http://www.mountainviewcollege.edu/sites/ie/default.aspx

2. Overview • Background • Context • Presentation • IR Toolbox • Time Management • Other Lessons Learned

3. Background • Air Force • Coordinating Board • Adjunct Faculty • Victoria College • Bakersfield College • Mountain View College

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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”

7. Context-Context-Context How? • Know your institution • Know your audience • Know your data • Never let a statistic stand alone – tell its story

8. Presentation 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!

9. IR Tool Box Build & maintain an IR Tool Box. • Accessible data • Consistent terminology - definitions • Useful recurring reports • Use the Internet • Earn your customers trust

10. 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

11. IR Tool Box Consistent terminology/definitions • Retention • Success • Completer • Graduate

12. IR Tool Box Useful recurring reports • Enrollment update • Enrollment change analysis • Grade distribution • FTIC student profile • Financial aid student profile • Graduate profile

13. 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

14. 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

15. Time Management Work smarter not harder • Learn what/who is important at your institution • “Help” customers define requests • Use your IR Tool Box • Ask for help

16. Other Lessons • Cannot explain what I do for a living • Texas is better than California • Beware of the “AIR Job Postings” web site link