Sunday, 28 April 2013

Tools for FInding the Best College or University ... For You!!!

Last updated: Sunday 5/2/13 ... Work in Progress
Another post on this blog provides a framework for tracking the "disruptive innovations" that are revolutionizing the internal operations of the producers of U.S. higher education. 

A. Descriptions  of Accredited Colleges & Universities
A set of comparably disruptive innovations now provides the consumers of higher education with information that will empower them to determine which colleges and universities best fit their particular academic objectives and financial resources, specifically:
  • The degree and certificate programs offered by each institution
  • How much it will really cost to earn these degrees and certificates. 
The following table is a toolbox that contains links to searchable Websites that describe accredited U.S. colleges and universities. It's another "work in progress" ==> readers are invited to use the "Comments" form at the bottom of this page to suggest additional tools ... :-)

Website Links
Sponsors
(2)
Cost
“Sticker Price”
(3)
Financial
Aid
(4)
Net Price
(5)
Grad-
uation
Rates
(6)
All
Programs
(Majors)
(7)
Online -
Blended
Programs
(8)

Enroll-
ment
(9)
Similar Insti-tutions
(10)
User
Skills
(11)
Carnegie Classification 2010
Carnegie Foundation






Y
Y
"Patience"
IPEDs
Data
Center
U.S. Dept of
Education
Y
Y

Y
List of all
 100% online
Institutions
Y
Y
"Patience"
College Navigator
U.S. Dept of
Education
Y
Y

Y
Y

Y
Basic
College Scorecard
U.S. Dept of
Education
Y
Y

Y

List of all
 100% online
Institutions
Y
Y
Basic
Net Price
Calculator
Center
U.S. Dept of
Education
Y
Y
Y





Basic
College Reality
Check
Chronicle of Higher Ed & Gates Foundation


Y



Y
Basic
2-year College
Data Tool
College Measures & Gates Foundation
Y

Y


Y
Basic
4-year College
Data Tool
College Measures & Gates Foundation
Y


Y



Y
Basic
 
The data in the columns 3 through 10 are "FADs" -- frequently asked data; but some of the sources provide a much wider array of information about each college or university than shown in these columns, e.g., Carnegie, College Navigator, and IPEDs Data Center

The content of the columns are as follows:
  • Column 1 -- Provides links to the Websites that host the interactive, searchable databases.
     
  • Column 2 -- Sponsors of the Websites = the organizations that compile the data and/or fund the maintenance of the Websites
     
  • Column 3 -- Cost = the official annual "Sticker Price" tuition and other expenses. Nowadays most institutions offer some kind of financial aid or tuition discounts to most students based on family income
     
  • Column 4 -- The average amount of annual financial aid that the number/percent of students receive from the federal government and other sources ==>  substantial reduction in the "sticker price" ... The amount of financial aid often depends on family income; the lower the income, the higher the aid
     
  • Colume 5 -- The Net Price is the "Sticker Price" minus the estimated financial aid the student will receive based on family income. These estimates are only provided by the Net Price Calculator Center and College Reality Check
     
  • Column 6 -- The 6-year graduation rate = the percent of students entering a 4-year institution for the first time who graduate six years later, i.e., the percent who graduate within 150 percent of four years. A comparable 150 percent rate is usually provided for 2-year colleges and technical institutions, i.e., percent who graduate in 3 years.
     
  • Column 7 -- A list of all of the degree and certificate programs offered by each institution. College Navigator is the only source in the table that provides this list.
     
  • Column 8 -- A list of all of the online degree and certificate programs offered by each institution.
    -- As per the table, none of the sources provide this information yet, even though enrollments in online programs are increasing
    -- College Scorecard  and IPEDS Data Center provide lists of institutions that only offer online programs; it does not identify institutions that offer both online and offline programs; and it does not list the programs offered by the online institutions
     
  • Column 9 -- Total enrollment = full time equivalent enrollments, i.e., full-time students plus percentage of part-time students
     
  • Column 10 -- Similar Institutions has two meanings:
    #1 -- The user begins by specifying certain characteristics (e.g., state, major, online/distance learning) and the source will return a list of colleges and universities that have these characteristics ==> College Scorecard     and IPEDs Data Center

    #2 -- The user begins with a particular college or university and the source returns other institutions that have the same characteristics ==> Carnegie Classification
     
  • Column 11 -- User Skill shows that most sources are easy to use, i.e., require "basic" skills; but some will require some "patience" before users become proficient at extracting the data they are looking for ... :-)

B. Results
Data that describe academic institutions isn't enough. Potential students also need information about results:
  • What is the quality of the learning experiences provided by the specific programs offered by specific colleges and universities for specific types of students?
     
  • How much do the graduates of specific programs earn upon graduation and at later stages of their careers?
Unfortunately, extensive data about the results of the programs offered by specific colleges and universities are not available ... yet ... Although a few nuggets about overall results exist for most institutions, e.g., their retention and graduation rates, hardly any data exists for the specific programs offered by each institution. Note: Some of the sources linked to the table in Section A (above) provide overall graduation and retention rates.

And hardly any data exists about the short-term and long-term earnings prospects for the graduates of specific institutions. Even less data is available about the earnings of the graduates of each of the programs offered by each institution. Nevertheless, some excellent reports about the average earnings of students in different fields of study are being published with increasing frequency. 

This note concludes with two lists of links to references to these reports and to related summary articles in the higher ed press.

References #1 -- Sources of Information About the Quality of Learning Experiences
  • TBA

References #2 -- Sources of Information About Earnings of Graduates
_____________________
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