Terms and Definitions



Office of Institutional ResearchGlossary of Commonly Used Terms in Institutional Research and Analysis Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Terms and Definitions PAGEREF _Toc45526323 \h 1ACRONYMS PAGEREF _Toc45526324 \h 12HLC Suggested Glossary PAGEREF _Toc45526325 \h 13HLC Set 1: Key Terms in Current and Suggested Core Component 4.C. PAGEREF _Toc45526326 \h 14HLC Set 2: Terms Critical to Reviewing Institutional Capacity PAGEREF _Toc45526327 \h 15HLC Set 3: Related Federal Definitions – Graduation, Retention, and Outcome Measures Reporting (IPEDS) PAGEREF _Toc45526328 \h 16HLC Set 4: Other Federal Terms Related to Financial Aid Eligibility PAGEREF _Toc45526329 \h 16INDEX PAGEREF _Toc45526330 \h 18Terms and DefinitionsAcademic Year XE "Academic Year" - Consecutive fall, spring and summer semesters. For example: 2019AY refers to the interval from Fall 2019 to Summer 2020. Spring term is often confusing to new users because 2019SP occurs January to May 2020. Same for the summer term which for 2019SU is May to August 2020. Accreditation XE "Accreditation" - Accreditation is a voluntary process of higher education oversight that serves to assure the public of the institution’s quality and to promote continuous institutional improvement. In Arizona, the organization that accredits colleges, including MCC, is the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) which is based in Chicago, IL. The HLC is one of six regional accreditors recognized by the Council for Higher Education (CHEA) and the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to provide accreditation to degree-granting, post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, which includes: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.?Many programs are also accredited by disciplinary specific organizations (for example, the Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the?Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).Active/Current XE "Active/Current" ?– Active and Current are terms that relate to the status of declared majors. Students have an “active” major when they have declared the major at some point in their matriculation and could, with the correct course set, earn a credential in that major. A student has a current major when the student is working on the declared major in the current semester. A student can have only one current major at a time, but can have more than one active major in the same term.Add Date XE "Add Date" – An EX data field named ADD_DTE which holds the date that a student enrolled in, or “added” a course. If a student adds and then drops and then adds back in the same course the ADD_DTE field will update and only show the latest add date.Add /Drop Period XE "Add /Drop Period" - A one-week period at the beginning of each semester during which students can drop courses from their schedule and/or add new courses to their schedule (from a later starting date) without financial penalty. Adjunct Faculty XE "Adjunct Faculty" - A person who holds a non-tenure-track appointment to the teaching staff of an institution. Adjunct faculty are generally part-time, with generally narrower expectations for involvement with the institution. Hired as needed, with no guarantees as to continuation of employment.Analytic/Analysis XE "Analytic/Analysis" ?– A level of data delivery in which a process, such as a statistical test, is applied to the data. This differs from presenting the data as just a table or list. Applicant?/ Prospect XE "Applicant?/ Prospect" – Levels of potential student engagement with MCC. Prospects are potential students who show interest in MCC through such means as leaving their name and contact information at a fair or other venue but have not yet completed an application for admission. Applicants are potential students who complete an MCC admissions application but have not yet enrolled in a class. Application Fee XE "Application Fee" - The amount of money that an institution charges for processing a student’s application for admission. This amount is not creditable toward tuition and required fees, nor is it refundable if the student is not admitted to the institution.Associate Degree XE "Associate Degree" - A credential that requires at least 60 earned credits usually consisting of two years of full-time equivalent college work. Campus XE "Campus" ?– The physical site at which a course operates. The term is also used as a generic reference to any of the school’s geographical sites. Carnegie Classification XE "Carnegie Classification" - A framework, established by the Carnegie Foundation in 1972, a division of the Carnegie Corporation founded in 1911 by Andrew Carnegie, for classifying colleges and universities in the United States that primarily serves educational and research purposes, where it is often important to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions. The classification includes all accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States that are represented in the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Carnegie classifies MCC in the group of “Associate Colleges: Mixed Transfer/Vocational and Technical.”Census Date XE "Census Date" - Date on which official admissions and enrollment data are extracted from the student information system. At MCC this occurs on the 45th calendar day of the semester.Certificate XE "Certificate" – A less than two year academic credential awarded in recognition of successful completion of a focused collection of courses in a given discipline or set of related disciplines. Certificate programs vary in length and can be completed concurrently with, or separately from, a degree program. In general, a student can complete a certificate in two semesters at 15 credit hours per semester.Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Codes XE "Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Codes" - A taxonomic coding scheme for secondary and post-secondary instructional programs, developed by the United States Department of Education. It is a six-digit code in the form xx.xxxx that identifies program specialties within educational institutions.Clinical XE "Clinical" - Of, or having to do with, health care related matters. Clinical Facility XE "Clinical Facility" - A facility, often associated with a hospital or medical school, that is devoted to the diagnosis and care of patients in the instruction of health professions and allied health professions; medical instruction may be conducted, and patients may be examined and discussed. Clinical facilities include, but are not limited to, patient examination rooms, testing rooms, and consultation rooms.Cohort XE "Cohort" -?A defined group of students established for tracking purposes, with specifically identified characteristics such as first-time first-year students or transfer students entering in a given semester.Credit XE "Credit" – A unit representing one hour (1 credit = 1 credit hour) of successfully completed work. It is applied toward the total number of credits needed for completing a degree or certificate. Common Data Set (CDS) XE "Common Data Set (CDS)" - A product of the Common Data Set Initiative to provide accurate and timely data to students and their families. It is a detailed report covering university-wide information and data are presented in the same common format for most institutions of higher education to facilitate comparisons among them.?Completer XE "Completer" – A student who completes all the academic and associated requirements for a certificate or degree. Compliance XE "Compliance" – Adherence to standards of quality, process, organization and policy established by accreditation agencies or government entities. Concurrent Student XE "Concurrent Enrollment/Concurrent Student" ?– A high school student who enrolls in a regular MCC college course on an MCC campus. This differs from a dual high school student who enrolls in a dual college course at their high school. Course Code XE "Course Code" – A set of letters and numbers that identify a specific course that meets in a specific location. The MCC course code consists of nine characters in three sections in the format ABC XXX XXX. The first three characters are letters that identify the field related to the course. The second three characters are numeral and identify the course level. The third set of characters, also known as the section code (see REF SectionCode \h Section Code), identifies whether the course is dual, online, day or evening, the campus at which the course meets, and a sequence number for the course.Course Count XE "Course Count" – The number of sets of all sections of courses that meet, identified by the first six characters in the course code (see above). A course may have more than one section. A course with multiple sections counts as one course. Course Fee XE "Course Fee" – A charge that is in addition to tuition for enrollment in specific courses. Course fees generally relate to technical or medical courses that require resources beyond a textbook. Course Level XE "Course Level" ?– The code that indicates the academic level of a course which is then specified in the second part of the course code (see above). Developmental/Transitional courses = 000 to 099, Lower division = courses numbered 100 to 199, Upper division = courses numbered 200 to 299.Credit Hour XE "Credit Hour" ??- A unit of measure representing an hour (usually 50 minutes) per session or equivalent of instruction over a 16-week period in a semester. It is applied toward the total number of hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree or certificate. The hours represent how many hours in a week that a course meets. For example, a three credit hour course ordinarily meets three times a week, each session being a 50 minute hour; or the three credit hour course meets twice a week in two 90 minute sessions. See “Credit” above.Data Dictionary XE "Data Dictionary" - a detailed definition and description of data sets (tables) and their fields (columns). This specification includes information such as data type, size, allowed values, default values, constraints, relations to other data elements and meaning/purpose of data set and field.Data Filter XE "Data Filter" - A filter screens or separates out unwanted materials. A filter in a database hides (filters out) unwanted records displaying only the records you want to see.Data Point XE "Data Point" ?– A singular data value out of a set of data. Defined Market XE "Defined Market" \t "See Market Penetration" XE "Defined Market" – A population set to certain characteristics as a focus for selling a product or service. For example, a college could focus a campaign on a zip code or age group. See Market Penetration.Degree-Seeking/Non-Degree Seeking XE "Degree-Seeking/Non-Degree Seeking" ?– Degree-seeking students are those enrolled in courses for credit with the goal of earning a degree or formal award. Non-degree seeking students are enrolled in courses but are not seeking a degree or formal award. Modality XE "Modality" : Ground – The traditional in-class on-campus course delivery mode. Sometimes referred to as “brick and mortar” modality.Hybrid – A course which includes both on-ground and online delivery methods. Online?– A course where most or all of the content is delivered online.Plural – A course delivered at one site, but is attended by students from multiple campuses via an audio-visual technology such as ITV. Synchronous – An online course in which all students and the instructor log in for instructional content at the same time.Demographics XE "Demographics" : Socioeconomic characteristics of a population expressed statistically. Demographics commonly used in postsecondary educationAge XE "Age" \t "See Demographics" – The length of time in years that a person has lived. Ethnicity XE "Ethnicity" \t "See Demographics" - The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. Gender XE "Gender" \t "See Demographics" – Either of the two sexes (male and female). Hispanic XE "Hispanic" \t "See Demographics" - Hispanic refers to people who speak Spanish and/or who are descended from Spanish speaking lineage. Latino XE "Latino" \t "See Demographics" ? - Latino is a term that refers to geography. It is used to signify that a person is from or descended from people from Latin America. Often designated as Latinx, where the x could be an a indicating female (Latina), or an o indicating male (Latino). Minority student XE "Minority student" \t "See Demographics" – refers to a racial group that makes up a smaller percentage of the population than the most common racial group. Race XE "Race" \t "See Demographics" - A group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc.; an ethnic group.Under-represented XE "Under-represented" \t "See Demographics" - Low-income, first-generation, LGBT+, and minority students are often underrepresented on college campuses; this means that they make up only a small fraction of the college’s total population. Distance Education XE "Distance Education" - An option for earning course credit on-line or at off-campus locations.Dual Enrollment/Dual Student XE "Dual Enrollment/Dual Student" ?– Dual enrollment is a program that allows high school students (sometimes sophomores, more often juniors, and seniors) to enroll in college courses for credit at their high school prior to high school graduation. College credits earned through dual enrollment can be simultaneously applied toward high school and college graduation and can be transferred to other colleges or universities.. The dual student is one enrolled in such a class. Enrolled XE "Enrolled" ?- Registered in at least one credit-bearing course at time of semester census date (see above).Enrollment XE "Enrollment" ?– The total number of students properly registered in classes. First-Generation Student XE "First-Generation Student" - A student for whom neither parent (or guardian) graduated from college, or completed an equivalent degree.First Time First Year Student (FTFY) XE "First Time First Year Student (FTFY)" ?- Students attending college for the first time in undergraduate (UG) courses. Students who are new to MCC but have academic credit from a previous college are considered transfer students (see REF TransferStudent \h Transfer Student), not first-time. Students whose only college experience was in dual courses, whether with MCC or elsewhere, are considered first time first year students when they enroll at MCC as post-high school college students.First Time Full Time First Year Student XE "First Time Full Time First Year Student" ??- Students for whom 1. MCC is their first college; 2. they are in their first year of attendance and, 3. they are enrolled in 12 or more credit hours. Fiscal Year XE "Fiscal Year" ?– Funding year that includes July 1 through June 30. For example: FY 2020 refers to the fiscal year from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020.Full Time Equivalent (FTE)/Full Time Student Equivalent (FTSE) (Arizona) XE "Full Time Equivalent (FTE)" – What the student count would be if all students attended full time with hours adding to the actual sum of credit hours. It is calculated by dividing total MCC credit hours for a term by 15, or by dividing total credit hours (see REF CreditHour \h Credit Hour) for an academic year (see REF AcademicYear \h \* MERGEFORMAT Academic Year) by 30. FTE Faculty is the actual count of full time faculty plus one-third the count of part-time faculty. Full Time Student XE "Full Time Student" ?- Students registered for 12 or more credit hours at the census date.General education courses XE "General education courses" - Courses designed to introduce students to the fundamental knowledge, skills and values essential to the study of academic disciplines. General education courses may or may not coincide with majors. For example, MCC offers general education courses in philosophy but does not offer a philosophy major.Going Rate XE "Going Rate" - Percent of Arizona high school graduates enrolled in Arizona’s community colleges within 12 months after graduating.Grade Point Average (GPA) XE "Grade Point Average (GPA)" ?- The sum of quality points (see REF QualPoints \h Quality Points) a student has earned divided by the sum of credit hours taken. GPA value ranges from 0.0 to 4.0.Term GPA – GPA calculated using quality points and credit hours only from a given term. Career GPA – GPA calculated using quality points and credit hours from all terms taken at MCC.Graduation Rate XE "Graduation Rate" ?– Percentage of students being awarded a degree or award in a given time frame (4 years or 5 years or 6 years, etc.) out of a first-time cohort. Headcount/ Unduplicated Headcount XE "Headcount/ Unduplicated Headcount" ?– The actual count of individual students, counting each student once.Honor Society XE "Honor Society" – An organization dedicated to recognition of academic and professional success, and to empower students to succeed. MCC has chapters of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society on all campuses. Independent study XE "Independent study" - Academic work chosen or designed by the student under an instructor’s supervision, and usually undertaken outside of the regular classroom structure.In-State XE "In-State" ?–A classification of students who meet the state’s or institution’s residency requirements.Instructional Faculty XE "Instructional Faculty" - Faculty whose primary responsibility is instruction; includes department heads and faculty who are on sabbatical or have release time for research; excludes faculty on leave without pay.International Student (Non-resident alien) XE "International Student (Non-resident alien)" - A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely.Level XE "Level" ?– Academic level of an enrolled student based on accumulated credit hours. Freshman = 0 to 29 accumulated/earned credit hours, Sophomore = 30 to 59 credit hoursLocation Code XE "Location Code" – The Location code identifies the student’s assigned home campus. Courses a student takes may or may not be at this campus. Macro XE "Macro" ?– An MCC course that is conducted at one campus, but is attended by students on multiple campuses via an audio-visual technology such as ITV. Major XE "Major" ??- A cohesive combination of courses including introductory, intermediate, and advanced coursework that designates a student’s primary area of study. Majors can be established or restructured to include required or optional concentrations. A major is typically 36-76 credit hours. A student may have more than one major. Majors are designated on University transcripts at the time the degree is awarded.Market Penetration XE "Market Penetration" – The percent of a defined market that enrolls in a college. See Defined Market above.Matriculation XE "Matriculation" – The process of initiating attendance to a school. Need-Based Financial Aid XE "Need-Based Financial Aid" - Aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and student employment awarded to students on the basis of demonstrated financial need.New Student XE "New Student" ?– An incoming student who has never enrolled in an MCC course before. A “New student” may or may not have attended another college. This differs from a “First-time” student (see above) who is new to MCC but has never attended any other college. Noncredit XE "Noncredit" ?– A course that does not award college credit. Community Education courses do not award college credits. Non-Degree Student XE "Non-Degree Student" - Student not enrolled in a degree program, but enrolled in credit-bearing classes where the academic credit appears on a MCC transcript, and may be transferable into a degree program at the discretion of the program/institution granting the degree.Non-Need Based Financial Aid XE "Non-Need Based Financial Aid" - Aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and student employment not based on demonstrated financial need but usually based on past academic achievement.Online course XE "Online course" - A course where most or all of the content is delivered online.Online program XE "Online program" - An academic program where 100% of the coursework can be completed online.Out-of-State XE "Out-of-State" ?- The tuition and fees charged to those students who do not meet the institution’s or state’s residency requirements.Part-Time Student XE "Part-Time Student" ?- Students registered for fewer than 12 credit hours at the census date.Pell Grant XE "Pell Grant" - A Federal grant assistance program directed to eligible undergraduate postsecondary students with demonstrated financial need to help meet education expenses. Undergraduate students without a prior bachelor degree qualify for the federal Pell grant based upon being below an expected family contribution income threshold established by the federal government. Persistence Rate XE "Persistence Rate" ?– The rate at which students continue in higher education from one year to the succeeding year.Prefix XE "Prefix" ?– The first three characters of the course code (see REF CourseCode \h Course Code). The prefix identifies the field of study such as Business (BUS), Mathematics (MAT) or English (ENG). Prerequisite XE "Prerequisite" - A course students must complete before taking a more advanced course in the discipline.Program XE "Program" ?– An academic office that coordinates the curriculum required for students to study a given major toward a certificate or degree in that majorProgram Review XE "Program Review" – A process for assessing how well programs encourage continuous improvement. Typical Program Review goals include: assessing what programs do; clarifying expectations for teaching, research and service; reviewing indicators of quality and student outcomes; and establishing plans for improvement.Quality Points XE "Quality Points" – Assigned numerical values given to letter grades. At MCC an A earns 4 points, B earns 3 points, C earns 2 points and D earns 1 point. Any other grade earns 0 points. Retention Rate XE "Retention Rate" : An institutional measure (as distinguished from a student measure) which calculates the rate of a set of students who attend a term who attend a later term based on those expected? to attend the subsequent term.? Returning Student XE "Returning Student" ?– A student who enrolls in a current term who had been enrolled in a prior term. Section Code XE "Section Code" – The third part of the course code (see REF CourseCode \h Course Code) consisting of three characters. The first character may be numerical or alphanumeric. If the first character is a number, it tells whether the course is a day (=1), evening (=2), or online (=8) course. If the first character is a letter, it tells whether the course is dual (=D), summer gateway (=G), hybrid (=H), or synchronous (=S) course. The second character is numeric. It identifies the campus at which the course meets. 1=Kingman, 2=Havasu, 3=Bullhead, 4=North, 5=Online. The third character is numeric and is just a sequence number for a course with multiple sections. Staff XE "Staff" - All non-faculty employees.STEM Majors XE "STEM Majors" - Majors within the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Student Campus vs Course Campus XE "Student Campus vs Course Campus" ?– The student campus is that to which students are recorded as their “home” or “assigned” campus. A student has only one assigned campus. A “course campus” is the campus at which the course takes place. A student may take a course on more than one campus. For example, a student lives in Bullhead City, so is assigned to the Bullhead City campus as her home campus. The student takes most of her courses in Bullhead City, but may take a course in Kingman or Lake Havasu City as well. Student/Faculty Ratio XE "Student/Faculty Ratio" ?- The count of FTE students divided by the count of FTE instructional staff.Student Identification Number XE "Student Identification Number" – At MCC, a unique six digit number assigned to students when they apply for admission. The assigned number always identifies the same student, and the student never changes his or her student ID. Student Success XE "Student Success" - the achievement of a grade of “A”, “B”,”C” or “S” in a course. Student Success Rate - is the ratio of success grades for a given cohort of students. Survey XE "Survey" ?- A research method used for collecting data from a pre-defined group of respondents to gain information and insights on various topics of interest. Term/Semester XE "Term/Semester" ?- One of three periods of time into which a school year is divided. A fall or spring semester normally includes up to 15 weeks for instruction and one week for final examination, or a total of 16 weeks of instruction and examination combined. The fall term runs from August to December. The summer term includes approximately 8 calendar weeks, from mid-May to early August, including registration, instruction, and final examinations.Transfer Student XE "Transfer Student" ?- A student who earned credits at another higher education institution prior to enrolling at MCC. Students are designated as transfer students whether or not they transfer course credits from another institution.Undeclared XE "Undeclared" - An undergraduate student who has not declared a major.Unduplicated Headcount XE "Unduplicated Headcount" ?- The sum of students enrolled, with each student counted only once during the reporting period regardless of how many courses the student is taking.Visualizations XE "Visualizations" - Methods of displaying data to illustrate certain characteristics of the data. Dashboard XE "Dashboard" \t "See Visualizations" –A visualization method that provides a look at, and possibly the ability to interact with and filter, live data, such as immediate enrollment or credit hours. Popular forms of dashboards are meters and thermometers.Chart/graph XE "Chart/graph" \t "See Visualizations" - The terms partly overlap, at least if they are used somewhat loosely, and in that overlap there isn't really any difference.A graph XE "graph" \t "See Visualizations" is a diagram of a mathematical function, but can also be used (loosely) about a diagram of statistical data.A chart XE "chart" \t "See Visualizations" is a graphic representation of data, where a line chart is one form.A plot XE "plot" \t "See Visualizations" is the result of plotting statistics as a diagram in different ways, where some of the ways are similar to some chart types.So, a line chart could be called a graph or a plot, while a pie chart is neither a graph nor a plot. A scatterplot is a chart but not (strictly) a graph, but the purpose of a scatterplot is to determine if there is some relation that can be expressed as a function that then naturally can be drawn as a graph. Plot XE "Plot" \t "See Visualizations" - We make plots out of points, and for something to be a plot, both axes must be continuous. For example, you can make a plot of the height vs. weight of a population, but not the height vs. species, because species are discrete; you can't plot a point halfway between a cow and a chicken. So plots are a subset of charts/graphs. Table XE "Table" \t "See Visualizations" ?– A method of displaying data in rows and columns.Withdrawing XE "Withdrawing" - The difference between dropping a course and withdrawing from a course is based on the time at which the student decides to stop participating in a class. If a student decides to stop participating in a course BEFORE the add/drop period (see REF Add_Drop_Period \h \* MERGEFORMAT Add /Drop Period XE "Add /Drop Period" ) deadline, it is defined as dropping a course. If a student decides to stop participating in a course AFTER the add/drop period deadline, it is defined as withdrawing from a course.Yield XE "Yield" ?- The percent of admitted students who enroll.ACRONYMSAIR XE "AIR" ?– Association of Institutional Research, the recognized national organization of institutional research professionals. ASSIST XE "ASSIST" ?– Arizona State System for Information on Student Transfer. An association of four-year and community colleges that, through a common data warehouse, enables the tracking of students from one Arizona college to another. Emsi XE "Emsi" ?– Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. A labor market analytics firm. They are an affiliate of the Strada Education Network. Website = XE "FAFSA" - The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the form used by the U.S. Department of Education and almost all colleges and universities to determine eligibility for federal, state, and college-sponsored financial aid.FTE XE "FTE" ?– Full Time Equivalent.. FTSE?– Full Time Student Equivalent. See FTE. Arizona uses FTSE for the anagram. Other states use FTE. GPA XE "GPA" – Grade Point AverageIPEDS XE "IPEDS" - The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). IPEDS gathers information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution that participates in the federal student financial aid programs. Institutions that participate in federal student aid programs are required to report data on enrollments, program completions, graduation rates, faculty and staff, finances, institutional prices, and student financial aid, as per the amended Higher Education Act of 1965. IR XE "IR" ?– Institutional ResearchPTK XE "PTK" – Phi Theta Kappa (), the world’s largest and most prestigious honor society for two-year college students. SCH XE "SCH" – Student Credit Hour(s)STEM XE "STEM" – Science, Technology, Engineering, MathWUE XE "WUE" ?– Western Undergraduate Exchange, an association of colleges from 15 specific states that allow reduced tuition for students from one of the member states to the other. HLC Suggested GlossaryThe following glossary list contains definitions identified by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in their publication “Defining Student Success Data: Recommendations For A Glossary Of Terms” but not found in the MCC IR generated list above. The terms and their definitions are consistent with accreditation Core Component 4.C. which states: 4.C. The institution demonstrates a commitment to educational improvement through ongoing attention to retention, persistence, and completion rates in its degree and certificate programs. The institution has defined goals for student retention, persistence, and completion that are ambitious but attainable and appropriate to its mission, student populations, and educational offerings. The institution collects and analyzes information on student retention, persistence, and completion of its programs. The institution uses information on student retention, persistence, and completion of programs to make improvements as warranted by the data. The institution’s processes and methodologies for collecting and analyzing information on student retention, persistence, and completion of programs reflect good practice. (Institutions are not required to use IPEDS definitions in their determination of persistence or completion rates. Institutions are encouraged to choose measures that are suitable to their student populations, but institutions are accountable for the validity of their measures.) The HLC publication cited also states that “…the glossary is not intended to be prescriptive, but rather to identify terms that have been associated with efforts across higher education to assess and improve student success, especially focusing on persistence in and completion…”The HLC glossary begins on the following page.HLC Set 1: Key Terms in Current and Suggested Core Component 4.C.Educational Intent XE "Educational Intent" - The intended educational objectives that a student has upon entry or develops through interaction with an institution’s programs, supports, and staff. This intent can include an array of educational objectives such as taking a course or courses to improve a certain skill or to transfer the credit elsewhere, earning a badge or certificate, and/or earning a degree. Intent can and often does change over time. To focus more directly on educational intent, an institution can evaluate how their existing goal completion markers (e.g., degrees, other formal awards, completion modules, etc.), and prospective new or revised markers and milestones (e.g., class level standing as related to progress toward objective completion rather than credits accumulated) can assist students in developing and completing constructive educational intentions that meet students’, and other constituents’ (e.g., employers, state legislators, community members) postsecondary education-related needs. Good Practice XE "Good Practice" - A practice (program or process) that is generally accepted as a positive approach or standard for obtaining the desired outcome. Generally, connotes that there exists credible evidence of effectiveness, either locally or through credible publications or presentation venues. Progression (rate) XE "Progression (rate)" - Demonstrated student progress toward the formation and completion of their educational intent over an acceptable period of time. Post-completion student outcomes XE "Post-completion student outcomes" - A general term related to learning/skill gains or subsequent activities of students upon completion of a degree, non-degree credential or other completion goal. Typically these are differentiated by: Learning outcomes: documented gains in specific knowledge, skills or abilities Employment outcomes: Career and other employment activities that relate to students’ academic programs Financial outcomes: employment wages, debt incurred, loan default, etc. Civic, community and service outcomes: Engagement and participation on local, regional, national and international communities and civic behaviors (e.g., military service, Peace Corps, Americorps, voting, volunteering, civic leadership) Quality of life outcomes: Psychological and physical health and behaviors; satisfaction; lifestyle choices; etc. HLC Set 2: Terms Critical to Reviewing Institutional CapacityAcademic Standing XE "Academic Standing" - A student’s status as related to their academic performance against a minimal acceptable level (typically minimum GPA). Can also include other academic progress components, like completing a set number of credits toward the educational intent or completion goal. Achievement/Progress/Performance gaps XE "Achievement/Progress/Performance gaps" - Differences in retention, progress, completion rates or outcomes among subgroups of students, most commonly gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or among special populations (e.g., veterans/active service members; single parents; disabled students). Completion goals XE "Completion goals" - Most commonly degree (or other formal award) attainment, but can also include upward transfer (2-yr to 4-yr) or lateral transfer to desired program or other markers and milestones developed to reflect educational intent relevant to an institution’s student population. Increasingly, institutions are developing completion modules, such as core course sequences (general education, quantitative requirements, etc.) that enable the student to move onward in their educational pursuits at other institutions. Employability/Career/Work readiness XE "Employability/Career/Work readiness" - The ability (sufficient skills) of a student to move into employment positions relevant to their area of study. Generally refers to employers’ perceptions based on experiences of hiring program (degree or other formal award) completers. Equity-mindedness XE "Equity-mindedness" - Refers to the responsibility of educators to stay mindful to the individual needs of students to successfully navigate through an institution and achieve their educational intent by providing the pathways and supports that leverage the abilities of each student. Contrasts to a deficit-based approach that focuses on how students are not properly prepared for college-level work. First destination XE "First destination" - The first subsequent formal activity that a graduate undertakes after degree completion. Typical categories of first destination outcomes include: employment, further/continuing education, volunteering, community service, and military service. Graduate attributes XE "Graduate attributes" - The skills and abilities that a degree/program completer has attained as related to subsequent career, further education, leadership, or civic/community participation. HLC Set 3: Related Federal Definitions – Graduation, Retention, and Outcome Measures Reporting (IPEDS)Outcome measures XE "Outcome measures" - Starting in 2015, the National Center for Education Statistics began collecting graduation rates for four-year institutions bachelor degree seeking cohorts for all new students who entered in a base year, disaggregated according to their entry status as: First-time, full-time; First-time, part-time; Non-first-time (transfer), full-time; and Non-first-time (transfer), part-time. The end-point (6 yr. and 8 yr.) status is further differentiated as: Receiving an award (degree or non-degree credential) at your or subsequent institution, Still enrolled at your institution, Subsequently enrolled at another institution, Did not receive an award from your institution, or Enrollment status unknown. HLC Set 4: Other Federal Terms Related to Financial Aid EligibilityAbility to benefit XE "Ability to benefit" - Restored to the Higher Education Act (HEA) in 2014, makes eligible for federal financial aid, students who do not have a high school diploma or recognized equivalent either by taking a U.S. Department of Education approved test or completing six credits. Related resources New Guidance on Ability to Benefit Dear Colleague Letter on Ability to Benefit Satisfactory academic progress XE "Satisfactory academic progress" - Evidence or markers that signify a student is completing requirements toward completing an academic program in a timely fashion. An institution must establish a reasonable satisfactory academic progress policy for determining whether an otherwise eligible student is making satisfactory academic progress in his or her educational program and may receive assistance under the Title IV, HEA programs. Related resources Federal Student Aid Office Federal student aid eligibility requirements Program Integrity Questions and Answers - Satisfactory Academic Progress INDEX INDEX \e "" \c "2" \z "1033" Ability to benefit16Academic Standing15Academic Year1Accreditation1Achievement/Progress/Performance gaps15Active/Current2Add /Drop Period2, 11Add Date2Adjunct Faculty2AgeSee DemographicsAIR12Analytic/Analysis2Applicant?/ Prospect2Application Fee2ASSIST12Associate Degree3Campus3Carnegie Classification3Census Date3Certificate3chartSee VisualizationsChart/graphSee VisualizationsClassification of Instructional Program (CIP) Codes3Clinical3Clinical Facility3Cohort3Common Data Set (CDS)4Completer4Completion goals15Compliance4Concurrent Enrollment/Concurrent Student4Course Code4Course Count4Course Fee4Course Level4Credit3Credit Hour4DashboardSee VisualizationsData Dictionary4Data Filter5Data Point5Defined Market5, See Market PenetrationDegree-Seeking/Non-Degree Seeking5Demographics5Distance Education6Dual Enrollment/Dual Student6Educational Intent14Employability/Career/Work readiness15Emsi12Enrolled6Enrollment6Equity-mindedness15EthnicitySee DemographicsFAFSA12First destination15First Time First Year Student (FTFY)6First Time Full Time First Year Student6First-Generation Student6Fiscal Year7FTE12Full Time Equivalent (FTE)7Full Time Student7GenderSee DemographicsGeneral education courses7Going Rate7Good Practice14GPA12Grade Point Average (GPA)7Graduate attributes15Graduation Rate7graphSee VisualizationsHeadcount/ Unduplicated Headcount7HispanicSee DemographicsHonor Society7Independent study7In-State7Instructional Faculty8International Student (Non-resident alien)8IPEDS12IR12LatinoSee DemographicsLevel8Location Code8Macro8Major8Market Penetration8Matriculation8Minority studentSee DemographicsModality5Need-Based Financial Aid8New Student8Noncredit8Non-Degree Student8Non-Need Based Financial Aid9Online course9Online program9Outcome measures16Out-of-State9Part-Time Student9Pell Grant9Persistence Rate9plotSee VisualizationsPlotSee VisualizationsPost-completion student outcomes14Prefix9Prerequisite9Program9Program Review9Progression (rate)14PTK12Quality Points9RaceSee DemographicsRetention Rate9Returning Student9Satisfactory academic progress16SCH12Section Code9Staff10STEM12STEM Majors10Student Campus vs Course Campus10Student Identification Number10Student Success10Student/Faculty Ratio10Survey10TableSee VisualizationsTerm/Semester10Transfer Student10Undeclared10Under-representedSee DemographicsUnduplicated Headcount11Visualizations11Withdrawing11WUE12Yield11 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download