Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/73558

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/J.HighEdu.26.47

Abstract - This study examines the public use of IR data in the United States post-secondary education system and draws applications to the use of IR data in Japan. In the first part, it reviews the longstanding history of public data usage and analyzes the changea in public use of data from 1867 through current times. It summarizes the key changes and their implications for institutional researchers. The review shows the role changes in technology and access to data led the IR field to change its perception of information in a ‘close box’to one that is widely, and readily accessible data for all users. As a result, new methods to employ the data for evalution have been presented in the public sphere. Detailed comparisons of colleges and universities became feasible and met the demand for accountability measures from policymakers, administrators, faculty and students. Futher linkage of large, administrative records enable policymakers to monitor changes in the job market and their applicability to the higher education sector. Those changes are demonstrated using the Data Feedback Report (DFR) and the Economic Development and Employer Planning System (EDEPS) - two widely accessible reporting systems that utilize IR data in the public sphere. In the second part, the paper examines the applicability of the tools and policies developed for public use of IR records to the higher education system in Japan. Itfuther suggest potential benefits for the expansion of IR at a campus level, and throughout consortium collaborations. Drawing on recent development in IR research at Hokkaido University and in Japan, I outline areas where linking existing administrative records may greatly support sata completion, and complement information collected in existing surveys. Expanding on the promising work of Miyamoto et al.(2017) and Hosakawa et al.(2018), it shows adding administrative records to evaluate longitudinal student outcomes can enhance the IR research in Japan and support the findings of earlier studies in IR. This would enable a mass expansion of IR at the course, major and campus level assessment. It further aligns with the development of assessment policy crucial for institutional effectiveness. Applications to campus level and system-wide IR are futher discussed.