Following a knitting pattern is like following a rubric, a standard. A knitting pattern for a sweater will contain directions to create a sweater, with some options to modify — like what size of sweater to make or adjustments for yarn material and size as well as needle size. Even if sweaters are made using different types of yarn, yarn size, or color, the pattern will be the same, and the similarities and differences between sweaters will be easily recognizable because they were all created with the pattern, the same rubric.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System — better known as IPEDS — provides a rubric for the collection and reporting of institutional data. IPEDS is a major report that data analysts all across higher education put together. If a higher education institution is eligible for and/or receives Title IV funding, then they are required to report institutional data to the federal government via IPEDS.
The Higher Education Act of 1965 and Title IV Funding
Title IV funding refers to federal aid programs for postsecondary students that are authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The Higher Education Act is a federal law that governs the administration of higher education programs. Its purpose is to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students and universities. Title IV funding is federal financial aid like Pell Grants and Federal loans among others.
IPEDS reporting at WSU
At Washington State University, IPEDS reporting is a regular and mandatory task within the System Analytics and Reporting team in the Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis. Census snapshots at the beginning of each term provide a data snapshot on admissions, enrollment, tuition, cost, faculty and staff FTE. The census snapshots paint a moment in time for the general makeup of an institution, and then census data is used to report IPEDS surveys three times a year, in the Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Over 7,000 postsecondary institutions submit survey information throughout the year for IPEDS. It’s a very effective and standardized way to gather the same information from unique institutions and allows for comparison, benchmarking, and is a great tool for prospective students, their families, as well as a research tool for institutions to see how they’re performing year-to-year as well as in comparison with their higher education peers.
Reporting Standards, Rubrics, and Helpdesk
IPEDS provides a standardized framework for all higher education institutions to follow. These rubrics and standards are also used in ranking surveys and the Common Data Set, as well as internal institutional reports. The IPEDS rubric is the standard, and this forms the backbone of so much of higher education data, transparency, and reporting. In addition to the standardization that IPEDS provides, there is helpdesk support to troubleshoot issues or questions that arise in how to report data that may not perfectly fit into a predefined box.
“Data can be messy and situations unique — so IPEDS reporting and support is a third party to establish how data is handled for institutions that all participate in IPEDS reporting,” shared Stephanie Kane, assistant vice president, systems analytics and reporting. “IPEDS creates a report structure that doesn’t allow room for creative interpretation. When there are discrepancies, there are standards and a built-in support system. You can pick up the phone and call someone at IPEDS helpdesk on how to handle a data submission, and a person with extensive institutional knowledge to IPEDS will talk through those challenges. That’s the experience and support to know how a particular data submission question was handled at a different institution. The IPEDS rubric and standards are invaluable.”
An example of when this type of support is particularly helpful would be when different institutions offer creative programs or degree combinations. For example, at WSU, there is a degree path to pursue a Pharmacy degree and MBA degree at the same time. When it comes to reporting students that fit that profile — that profile may not exist in IPEDS — but there’s an expert with IPEDS helpdesk that has the institutional knowledge to talk through data discrepancies, to ensure that the way that institutions are reporting still falls within a standardized rubric. There is less room for interpreting how to process or report data because the rubric and support system is clearly there to help keep the standard, ethics, and data transparency high.
Data Ethics and Transparency
Data by itself without a rubric or standardization becomes less transparent and less useful. The structure, the rubric, the standardization allows for data transparency and benchmarking — the ability to compare institutions with each other — to check progress, tuition comparisons, and things like college affordability against peers.
If there is less enforcement on rubrics and standards of reporting, then the reporting and data becomes inconsistent, not only when comparing institutions, but inconsistent when looking at your own internal reporting. Data reporting standards that change year to year become less helpful because the standard that you’ve used becomes meaningless if it’s always changing.
The Impact of following a Pattern, a Rubric
If we return to our opening metaphor, if that pattern or rubric and standardization were to go away, then it would be like every institution creating their own rubric or knitting a sweater of their choice without a pattern. The standards would go away and the ease at which similarities and differences would be recognized would be too difficult to see because the data — or sweaters — would all be different.
“The IPEDS data is so important because if that goes away, and we don’t have that standardized structure,” said Stephanie, “we run the risk of institutions keeping their data behind closed doors.”
Institutions could be less transparent. Transparent data helps institutions, stakeholders, and consumers, so each group, each stakeholder can look at the information reported about postsecondary institutions and have reliable information.
About the Author
Eija Sumner is the Strategic Communication Coordinator in the Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis (OSPA) at Washington State University.