Abstract
Armed with a strong toolkit of knowledge and skills, institutional research (IR) professionals often serve as collaborators
with campus colleagues who may need assistance with survey design, statistical analysis, program review, and assessment of
individual programs or the institution. This paper discusses the role that an IR professional played in a comprehensive and
high profile study of undergraduate research. The project was grounded in educational theory and principles of academic assessment.
It consumed many long hours, but it also yielded gains in IR visibility, heightened professional relationships with campus
colleagues, a second sizable grant, and multiple publications. Implications for the IR practitioner, contributions to the
scholarship of assessment, and institutional synergy are discussed.
with campus colleagues who may need assistance with survey design, statistical analysis, program review, and assessment of
individual programs or the institution. This paper discusses the role that an IR professional played in a comprehensive and
high profile study of undergraduate research. The project was grounded in educational theory and principles of academic assessment.
It consumed many long hours, but it also yielded gains in IR visibility, heightened professional relationships with campus
colleagues, a second sizable grant, and multiple publications. Implications for the IR practitioner, contributions to the
scholarship of assessment, and institutional synergy are discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Research and Practice
- Pages 1-22
- DOI 10.1007/s11162-012-9257-4
- Authors
- Karen L. Webber, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Journal Research in Higher Education
- Online ISSN 1573-188X
- Print ISSN 0361-0365