The NEW NRC DATA BASED DATA BASED ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH

DOCTORATE PROGRAMSDOCTORATE PROGRAMS

Not your father’s survey, but the mother of all surveys

TAKE HOME POINTS

• There is no ONE right way to do rankings.

• UA did fine! Solidly in step with our ABOR peers. Many programs near top.

• Much more than rankings. Most valuable as a benchmarking tool for improvement and accountability

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nrc.arizona.edunrc.arizona.edu

Many ways to develop rankings—

NRC did it in FIVE ways.

TWO OVERALL ‘QUALITY’ rankings, reported as ranges, with 90% confidence intervals

1. R = regression-based. Small # of raters, hence some are quirky.

2. S = survey-based weights derived from an idealized question about relative importance of variables

Not all variables are used in these overall rankings

Samples in your packet

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In your packet if you want further information

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Samp

Sample of program rankings: Geography

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Plus 3 dimensions (the 20 variables fall into these categories):

3.Research Activity

4.Student Support and Outcomes Sample in your packet

5.Diversity of the Academic Environment

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Example: Student Support & Outcomes

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Related effort on PhDs.org will permit rankings with user determined weights

NRC says:

“The production of rankings from measures of quantitative data turned out to be more complicated and to have greater uncertainty than originally thought. As a

consequence, the illustrative rankings are neither endorsed nor recommended by the National Research Council (NRC) as an authoritative conclusion about the relative quality of doctoral programs. . .

“The reader who seeks a single, authoritative declaration of the ‘best programs’ in given fields will not find it in this report.”

What's important in:

Variable S R Variable S R Variable S R Variable S R Variable S R Variable S RPub/fac 1 2 %fac w/

grants1 Pub/fac 1 Pub/fac 1.5 4 Pub/fac 1 Pub/fac 1 5

%fac w/ grants

2 Pub/fac 2 3 %fac w/ grants

2 %fac w/ grants

1.5 Cite/pub 2 4 % students in acad positions

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% students in acad positions

3 Cite/pub 3 2 Cite/pub 3 5 Cite/pub 3 3 %fac w/ grants

3 Awards/ fac

3 2

Cite/pub 4 % students in acad positions

4 Awards/ fac

4 3 Awards/ fac

4 2 % students in acad positions

4 % interdisp faculty

4 4

% interdisp faculty

5 GRE 5 4 % students in acad positions

5 % students in acad positions

5 Awards/ fac

5 1 % 1st yr w/ full support

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GRE 5 Awards/fac

5 GRE 2 GRE 5 GRE 2 GRE 1

# PhDs 1 # PhDs 1 # PhDs 1 # PhDs 1 # PhDs 3 # PhDs 3Health insurance

3 # student activities

4 # student activities

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# student activities

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Social and Behavioral

Sciences

HumanitiesAgricultural Science

Biological & Health Sciences

Engineering Physical & Math Sciences

DEMO on NRC site• I want to study LINGUISTICS (52 programs)

• In the EAST or WEST (31 programs)

• I want good probability of FINISHING (11)

• I need financial support (9)

• I’d like to study with diverse faculty (5)

• I care about faculty research, citations

• I should go to ARIZONA!

Communication Plan

• UA Internal Release

• External Release

• Workshops & visits with colleges & departments

• Groups such as Assessment Council, Faculty Senate, SPBAC