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The Lazy Person’s Guide to Institutional Research

I wish someone would have shown me this sooner!

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Lazy Person’s Guide Premise

Many of us “fell” into institutional research We come with different backgrounds and

different skills We learn things as we grow in the job However, we are sometimes afraid to share

what we’ve learn for fear of being exposed as inadequate

My Need I need to learn how to do things more

efficiently (but I don’t want to work too hard or think too

much)

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Solution

Bite the bullet and share what we know at the risk of showing our ignorance

Remember, we are all gentle people here(The worse you should hear is

“bless his heart”) Who knows? I might be smarter than I think(or not) After I reveal my discoveries, then it will be

your turn

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OK I’ll Start

Make Your Life Easier ─ Discover the Wonders of Copy and PasteMy rule try copying and pasting first

• Example: PREP Queryhttp://www.thecb.state.tx.us/InteractiveTools/PREP/menu.htm

Go to next screen before clicking on link

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                                                               PREP1 Query Results[ Downloadable Results ]   [ Change Parameters ]   [ Start new Query ]   [ Return to Menu ]

Profile 310 - (C) ENROLLMENT DATA

Report 005 - TOTAL HEADCOUNT

FICE 003627 - TEMPLE COLLEGE

Item Description Item Code

Fall-2004

Fall-2003

Fall-2002

Fall-2001

Fall-2000

TOTAL HEADCOUNT (NON DUPLICATIVE)

215 4,068 3,932 3,664 3,579 3,381

TOTAL 4,068 3,932 3,664 3,579 3,381

[ Downloadable Results ]   [ Change Parameters ]   [ Start new Query ]   [ Return to Menu ]

To download the delimited data for this query, click [Downloadable Results] above and save the resulting file to your local machine.

Sample Prep Query result

keep going

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*Gonzo Computer Application

You could download the information To download the delimited data for

this query, click [Downloadable Results] above and save the resulting file to your local machine.

* Gonzo computing is doing what it takes to get the job done. (not necessarily the “correct” way)

keep going

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But they don’t tell what to do with the file. In my case it meant

1.opening the file2.selecting all3.copying4.pasting into excel5.and converting using “text to columns”

Or, you could highlight the table on the website then copy and paste directly into an Excel file

Now you can Click on the button to check out Prep On-line

or go to next slide

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Copy tables from program to program (internet, word, publisher, etc.)If you can’t copy straight to the

program you want, try copying from program to program to program (Adobe to MS Word to Excel)

Copy web addresses to word or excelhttp://www.texas-air.org/ (copy, paste,

and space)

Other uses of Copy and Paste

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Lazy Person’s Mantra:

THECB (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board)

Texas Higher Education Data http://www.txhighereddata.org/ Accountability System http://www.txhighereddata.org/Interactive/Accountability/ Prep Online Institutional Effectiveness http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/AAR/UndergraduateEd/IE/

CDR and TWC (Career Development Resources and Texas Workforce commission) Socrates http://socrates.cdr.state.tx.us/ (don’t click on Socrates until you see the 3

next slides) Tracer http://www.tracer2.com/

Let Someone Else Do Your Work For YouBut give them credit

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SOCRATES software is designed as a tool to assist local Texas planners perform a regional labor market analysis. SOCRATES is useful for local workforce planning under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to generate lists of Targeted Industries and Targeted Occupations:

                         

Complimentary labor market analysis tools are also available in the SOCRATES system which are designed as integral modules for additional area economic analysis and career information scenarios:

IGNORE THIS

Check this out

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13 pages of “copy and paste-able” information courtesy of CDR and Socrates

County Narrative ProfileBell County Report

What are County Narrative Profiles?

The Career Development Resources (CDR) unit of the Texas Workforce Commission has developed the County Narrative Profile (CNP) as a tool for presenting Texas county based statistical data in an easy-to-read narrative format. This CNP module is one of many analytical tools available from the SOCRATES labor market information system. The narrative approach is an alternative to looking through stacks of tables and charts which can be confusing and difficult to understand or interpret. It allows the user to easily request an easy to understand report on one or more of the 254 counties in Texas.

Geography

Regional Information: The Bell County region (FIPS code:48027) had an estimated population of 237,974 in 2000. The region consists of 1,088 square miles with a population density of 218.73 residents per square mile compared to a statewide density of 79.54. This county ranked 19th in 2000 population compared to all 254 counties in Texas. Bell County is a member of TWC's Central Texas Local Workforce Development region. This area is an urban county and is part of the Bureau of Census designation for a Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA or MSA) by the complete reference of: Killeen-Temple, TX MSA .

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A sample customized occupational profile from Socrates

Now you can play on Socrates or go to the next slide.

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Other Websites That Make You Look Brilliant

My FavoritesAmerican FactFinder

http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en

Texas State Data Center and Office of the State Demographerhttp://txsdc.utsa.edu/

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Some People Excel at Excel

Text to columns Used to put CBM reports into Excel

• To convert CBM Report to Excel you need a copy of the flat file from your reporting officer and the data processing layout record from the reporting and procedures manual. http://www.txhighereddata.org/ReportingManuals.cfm

Learn these tools

Before I discovered this, I felt like Blanche Dubois. I often depended on the kindness of strangers.

And by strangers I don’t mean people I didn’t know, but rather the IT department.

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Excellent tools to learn Filter and advanced filter

Numerous applications including finding unique records (find filter under Data)

Concatenate Combines the content of cells

Quick formulas and writing formulas ▼

• SUM• AVERAGE• COUNT• MAX

Write you own formulas just like in algebra• e.g. =(D3+D4)/D4• * is the multiplication sign

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Page Setup and Templates Repeating top row

• Find under file/page setup/sheet Custom header and footer

• Creating a custom template with a common header and footer helps you keep track of documents that originated from your office. If you include &[Path]&[File] (the folder icon), you will know where to find it on your computer when someone sends it back for an update.

Ask someone to explain Split and Freeze Frame under Window. It’s great for browsing data in an excel spreadsheet

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More Excel Sleight of Hand Auto fill

• e.g. numbers, dates, days of the week

Paste Special• values, links, formats

Keystrokes• e.g.

Insert date Ctrl + ; Insert time Ctrl +Shift + ;

We won’t even talk about Pivot Tables (see Joe Meyers)

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Other tricks

MS WordExploit auto correct

• Works like AutoText – only quicker• Format text, highlight, open AutoCorrect

options, and name carefully (nonsense words)

• Type in your nonsense word hit the space bar and watch the magic

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Track Changes• Find under tools• Turn it on when you want to keep track of

changes made to documents• To hide the marks. Turn off Markup under

view

Now is the winter of our discontentDeleted: season

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More tips

Pesky surveys: U.S. News, Peterson's, College Board, etc.  First, deadlines are negotiable, just call

them--the earlier the better. Second, even if all the requested fields aren't

filled in, send in the survey. Get your college name out there.

Third, several of the survey publishers use old material if they do not get new material. Send them something.

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SPSS?

If running a frequency or table for a field that has multiple possible values and not all values are used then the table will show only the used values.  (see Table 1)

If you want all possible values/response options to show up in the table this is one way to do it.

You must create a new dummy variable.  For Each case, code that dummy variable with a “1.”  Then you create some dummy cases and code the dummy variable with  “.001”.  For the dummy cases, code the fields with the unused values.  Then you must weight cases by the dummy field.  (See second table) All possible values show up even though no cases appear to have selected that value (Strongly Disagree).

This hint was suggested by someone who understands SPSS. I don’t.

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Table 1  Strongly Agree Agree Disagree No Opinion/DNA

The workshop offered useful information and strategies

 5     2

The goals of the workshop were clearly stated   5 2    

The goals of the workshop were met   5   2  

I gained new work related insights   4 3    

Handouts and/or materials used enhanced my learning

 5     2

Information was personally and/or professionally relevant

 5 2    

My understanding of this topic has increased   2 3 2  

The level of information was appropriate   3 4    

The workshop stimulated my interest   4 1   2

I will be able to use the new information without further help

 4 3    

The workshop materials will be helpful   4 1 2  

I would attend an advanced workshop on the same topic

 3 4    

The workshop met my expectations   3 2   2

I would recommend this workshop to others   4 3    

Without the hint

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Table 2

  Strongly Agree Agree DisagreeStrongly Disagree

No Opinion/DNA

The workshop offered useful information and strategies

 5 0 0 0 2

The goals of the workshop were clearly stated

 5 2 0 0 0

The goals of the workshop were met   5 0 2 0 0

I gained new work related insights   4 3 0 0 0

Handouts and/or materials used enhanced my learning

 5 0 0 0 2

Information was personally and/or professionally relevant

 5 2 0 0 0

My understanding of this topic has increased

 2 3 2 0 0

The level of information was appropriate

 3 4 0 0 0

The workshop stimulated my interest   4 1 0 0 2

I will be able to use the new information without further help

 4 3 0 0 0

The workshop materials will be helpful

 4 1 2 0 0

I would attend an advanced workshop on the same topic

 3 4 0 0 0

The workshop met my expectations   3 2 0 0 2

I would recommend this workshop to others

 4 3 0 0 0

With the hint

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Lazy Person’s Guide

TAIR 2006

Jimmy D. RobertsDirector of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and PlanningTemple College2600 South First StreetTemple TX 76504

jdr@templejc.edu

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