An in-depth look at one of a valuable tools for assessing student learning outcomes Longitudinal assessments, in which researchers track the experiences of individual students over a predetermined period of time, are powerful tools for measuring college student learning outcomes and for institutional planning, policy, and program design. This volume in the critically acclaimed New Directions for Institutional Research comprises contributions from leading experts in the field from institutions of higher learning nationwide who focus on three key aspects of longitudinal assessment, namely, methodology, data collection, and the application of findings in the crafting of institutional improvement initiatives.

"Universities and colleges often operate between two worlds: higher education and economic systems. It is impossible to understand how current developments are affecting colleges without attending to the changes in both the higher education system and in the economic communities in which they exist. W. Richard Scott, Michael W. Kirst, and colleagues focus on the changing relations between colleges and companies in one vibrant economic region: the San Francisco Bay Area. Colleges and tech companies, they argue, have a common interest in knowledge generation and human capital, but they operate in social worlds that substantially differ, making them uneasy partners. Colleges are a part of a long tradition that stresses the importance of precedent, academic values, and liberal education. High-tech companies, by contrast, value innovation and know-how, and they operate under conditions that reward rapid response to changing opportunities. The economy is changing faster than the postsecondary education system."--The cover.

Improving Postsecondary Choice and Pathways explores the influences and experiences throughout a student’s transition from secondary to postsecondary education, with an emphasis on the fit between academic readiness and institutional selectivity. Designed to consider the variegated experiences and factors contributing to student-college match, chapters in this volume explore the challenges associated with the college search, choice, and application processes and how they affect specific student groups. Additionally, this text investigates the stakeholders and programs designed to assist students in finding suitable postsecondary institutions. This book holistically explores the varied aspects within student-college match while also providing a glimpse into innovative approaches for improving outcomes via an expanded consideration of college choice and student-college match determinations.

Published annually since 1985, the Handbook series provides a compendium of thorough and integrative literature reviews on a diverse array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature in terms of its conceptual and methodological rigor, and sets forth an agenda for future research intended to advance knowledge on the chosen topic. The Handbook focuses on a comprehensive set of central areas of study in higher education that encompasses the salient dimensions of scholarly and policy inquiries undertaken in the international higher education community. Each annual volume contains chapters on such diverse topics as research on college students and faculty, organization and administration, curriculum and instruction, policy, diversity issues, economics and finance, history and philosophy, community colleges, advances in research methodology, and more. The series is fortunate to have attracted annual contributions from distinguished scholars throughout the world.