Overview of IPEDS College Opportunities Online Locator (COOL)

Transcription

1 Overview of IPEDS College Opportunities Online Locator (COOL) What you will learn today What is the College Opportunities Online Locator (COOL) tool The COOL data elements Navigating within COOL How to identify and utilize links to other data sources within COOL Using the compare function in COOL The strengths and limitations of COOL 1

2 What is IPEDS COOL? is a direct link to information on nearly 7,000 postsecondary institutions in the United States. includes colleges, universities, and community colleges, as well as trade and technical schools. was authorized by Congress in 1998 to help college students, future students, and their families understand the differences between colleges and the cost to attend college. was significantly revised in 2006 now includes ability to make institutional comparisons Why Use IPEDS COOL? Students - access data on cost of attendance, college environment, availability of majors and programs of study Lawmakers - examine affordability, access, and accountability Institutions - marketing strategies, various departmental uses, quick peer benchmarking, review data submitted, and improvement opportunities High school counselors & librarians - assist students in the selection process Academic decision-makers - access data on comparison institutions 2

3 System Features: Searches System Features: Primary Searches Search for a particular school by name or for a group of schools using shared characteristics. Primary search: by Institution name; by geographic location (multiple states or region) by instructional program (major) More options include: Characteristics Enrollment levels Religious affiliation Distance from zip code 3

4 Institution Name Primary Search Geographic Location Instructional Program (Major) Click this button to get more search options. More Options 4

5 System Features: More Search Options By Characteristics By Location System Features: Selecting Multiple Criteria Use the control key (Ctrl), to select multiple categories from each of these pull-down boxes 5

6 System Features: Sample Search Results If your search is not successful you may use one of the above links to refine the search or start over. Here is a summary of your search criteria! Click on one of the institutions to view information Exercise: Search COOL Use COOL to search an institution by: Name Geography Programs 6

7 System Features: Quick Search Quick Search Institution Name Enter the institution s name Press Results 7

8 Quick Search Select Your Institution Lists all the institutions that contain the words you entered Available Institutional Information Institutional data is divided into ten distinct categories. General Information Estimated Student Expenses Financial Aid Admissions Enrollment Retention / Graduation Rates Awards / Degrees Accreditation Campus Security Federal Student Loan Default Rates 8

9 Institution Data: General Information Data include: Location of institution, General phone numbers and website, Type of institution (sector, level), Carnegie classification, Levels of degrees and certificates offered Special learning opportunities, and Student services. If you are not familiar with this number write it down. Link to your website Pop-up boxes with definitions / mission statement 9

10 Exercise: COOL Quick Search Use COOL to conduct a Quick Search Questions: What did they find interesting? Were they aware this information was available? What are some of the implications to the data? System Features: Navigation 10

11 Navigating COOL: Where do they get the data? From IPEDS surveys: General Information, Estimated Student Expenses, Financial Aid, Admissions, Enrollment, Retention / Graduation Rates, and Awards / Degrees From Other Sources: Accreditation, Campus Security, and Federal Loan Default Rates Navigating COOL 11

12 Navigating COOL Provides a direct link to the United States Department of Education s Financial Aid for Students home page. Navigating COOL 12

13 Navigating COOL Navigating COOL This link provides a popup window with a definition of retention rate! 13

14 Navigating COOL Another pop-up window with a definition of graduation rate! Navigating COOL Note the caution! 14

15 Navigating COOL Navigating COOL 2 Digit CIP Level 6 Digit CIP Level for the same Program 15

16 Navigating COOL Lists the agencies and associations that accredit programs at the institution. Provided by Office of Postsecondary Education. Only lists accrediting agencies and associations recognized by the US Department of Education. Information on these agencies and accreditation at the following web site: Notice you have left COOL and need to click on this link to return to COOL. Provides information on the accrediting agencies recognized by the US Dept. of Education. 16

17 Navigating COOL Provides a link to the campus security statistics! Data from the Office of Postsecondary Education - found directly through their web site: Navigating COOL Campus crime statistics are found via the menu at the bottom of the page. Use the BACK button on your browser or the link at the bottom of the page to return to COOL. 17

18 Navigating COOL Navigating COOL The Federal Student Aid Program definition: A cohort default rate is the percentage of a school s borrowers who enter repayment on certain Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and/or William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans during a particular Federal fiscal year (FY), October 1 to September 30, and default or meet other specified conditions prior to the end of the next fiscal year. 18

19 Exercise: Navigate COOL Use the navigational features of COOL to locate data on your institution. Q & A What questions do you have about the data that are available within COOL? Do the data that you have reviewed in COOL make sense for your institution? System Features: Comparing Institutions 19

20 Two Steps for Creating Institutional Comparisons: 1. Select institutions for comparison 2. List the IPEDS data Start a New Session! From the left hand menu list, Select New Search to start a new COOL session! 20

21 Comparing Institutions: 1.Select Institutions Three options to compare schools: Complete a name search of institutions you wish to compare Search for institutions individually to add to your comparison table Click More Options to search by criteria. Comparing Institutions: 1.Select Institutions In this search, we selected: Public 4-year institutions Located in Maryland offering Education programs 21

22 Comparing Institutions: 1.Select Institutions When you select Programs/ Majors, a list of relevant CIP codes is presented. Select all or some of the relevant codes. Then, click Results Comparing Institutions: 1.Select Institutions Click Compare Institutions to compare up to 4 institutions. 22

23 Comparing Institutions: 1.Select Institutions Check up to 4 institutions & click Compare Comparing Institutions: 2. IPEDS Data 23

24 Comparing Institutions: 2. IPEDS Data By clicking the Enrollment link, you can compare enrollment data for these institutions. Comparing Institutions: 2. IPEDS Data 24

25 Comparing Institutions: 2. IPEDS Data Use these links to add or search for more institutions Use the remove link to take an institution out of the comparison table Use the details link to access data on any of the four institutions Comparing Institutions: 2. IPEDS Data When you select the Details link for an institution in the table, you will see: 25

26 Comparing Institutions: 2. IPEDS Data Use these links to further explore data for the selected institution Use these links to review the details for enrollment data for the other institutions This link will return you to the comparison table Exercise: Compare Institutions Select institutions you want to compare. How will you select the institutions? Name Search Search institutions individually Search Criteria Compare two or more screens of data. Was the data helpful to you? Would it be helpful for potential students? 26

27 Strengths & Limitations Exercise: Identify COOL s Strengths & Limitations Generate a list of COOL s strengths and limitations for prospective students. 27

28 Summary of Strengths for Students Major strength is information on more postsecondary institutions and types of postsecondary institutions than any other source currently available provides three years of price information - more than any other source comparisons to COOL provides useful consumer information Summary of Limitations for Students Major limitation is that the tool provides comparisons without explanation Example: Three years of price information enables one to compare price of attendance over the last 3 years + Students can determine if the cost has remained fairly constant or if tuition has increased No context of why tuition changed 28

29 Exercise: Identify COOL s Strengths & Limitations Generate a list of COOL s strengths and limitations for Academic Planners & Decision Makers Summary of Strengths for Academic Planners & Decision Makers Major strength is information: Provides valid and reliable information on comparison institutions An on-line fact book that is publicly available on almost all institutions of higher education Side-by-side comparisons of up to four institutions allows decision makers preliminary access to direct comparisons 29

30 Summary of Limitations for Academic Planners & Decision Makers Limited access to variables that are available within IPEDS Comparisons across institutions are limited to four institutions May need a more advanced tool that enables direct comparisons across multiple institutions Peer Analysis System Peer Analysis System A web-based tool that enables users to easily retrieve data on a set of postsecondary institutions of the user s choice Users can compare one institution to a group of comparison institutions Comparison institutions are selected by the user User can generate reports or files using selected IPEDS variables of interest 30

31 College Opportunities Online Locator (COOL) COOL data elements Navigating COOL We discussed... Identifying and utilizing links to other data sources within COOL Using the compare function in COOL How COOL can be used for decision making The strengths and limitations of COOL Acknowledgements Content Development Gayle Fink Lu Phillips Mary Ann Coughlin Content Reviewers Darline Morris-Baldwin Ira Tyszler Jackie Stirn Soon Merz Instructional Design Susan Garrity Project Manager Anthony Bichel 31

32 Questions? 32