Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Research Articles

Explaining heterogeneity in student diversity across economics departments

While the field of economics lacks diversity, there is little consensus on the underlying causes of or most effective solutions to this problem. The authors of this article combine data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) with data from their own survey of U.S. economics departments to identify institution and department characteristics associated with observed variation in gender and racial diversity of undergraduate students across departments. They focus their attention on student support, role modeling, course content, and the use of active learning pedagogy. While they find no significant associations between course content or student support with student diversity, they find that gender diversity in departmental faculty is a strong predictor and that active learning is positively associated with gender diversity.

Oceania in the Desert: A QuantCrit Analysis of the (Under)Counting of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students at an AANAPISI-HSI

Most education research uses the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), often leaving the logic undergirding the IPEDS racial classification system (i.e., categorization and counting) unquestioned. Framed by Quantitative Critical Race Theory (QuantCrit) principles, this research demonstrates how the NCES IPEDS racial classification misrepresents and undercounts students. Specifically, we show how IPEDS guidance around racial classification misrepresents the number of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA&NHPI) undergraduates, with particular attention to NHPI students, at a single institution. We show the ways in which IPEDS logic leads to undercounting, namely that, based on the NCES IPEDS racial classification system, most undergraduates identifying as NHPI are classified as Two or More Races and Hispanic or Latino. A similar pattern of suppression is found to varying degrees for students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Black or African American. Our findings complicate the taken-for-granted nature of IPEDS racial classification and have implications for serving racially minoritized student groups and for institutions that may qualify as enrollment-based Minority-Serving Institutions.

Examining career and technical education (CTE) pathways in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)

Career and technical education (CTE) is considered a key academic pathway for sustainable careers in several high-growth industries. However, African–American employees are underrepresented in these industries. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) may represent invaluable options to address this inequality. Our analysis of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) suggests that HBCUs provide fewer CTE options than a matched sample of non-HBCUs. The most commonly available CTE programs appear in less than one-quarter of HBCUs, and nearly one-quarter of CTE industries are unrepresented. Although some programs are well-positioned to address African–American employee underrepresentation, others are completely absent. Findings connecting HBCU CTE programs to occupations with high projected growth or living wage salaries are also mixed. Overall, these results may be informative for academic policymakers, administrators, and students.

Academic library expenditures and graduation rates: evidence from four-year colleges and universities in the US

ABSTRACT In the midst of financial challenges, colleges and universities in the United States have significantly cut funding for their academic libraries in the name of enhancing efficiency. Using longitudinal data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) on 1,325 four-year colleges and universities, this study finds that total academic library expenditure is positively associated with student graduation rates, net of a wide range of institutional and student-related characteristics. Such findings are evident for total graduation rates as well as graduation rates for students of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. In particular, the positive association between academic library expenditures and graduation rate is most consistently evident for Black students who attend predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The findings reinforce the important role that academic libraries can play for students and shed light on the need for institutions to consider the educational consequences of reducing funding for academic libraries.

Assessing the Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Physician Assistant/Associate Program Graduates from 2010 to 2012 and 2019 to 2021.

To assess the racial/ethnic diversity of graduates of US Physician Assistant/Associate (PA) programs compared with the diversity of the populations from which they draw students and to assess diversity changes over time among PA graduates. We calculated proportion of Black or Hispanic PA graduates nationally and by school between 2010 to 2012 and 2019 to 2021 using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and compared it with the diversity of the 20 to 35-year-old population using the American Community Survey. We created benchmark populations for each school based on whether the school was public or private, with in-state/out-of-state proportions provided by the Physician Assistant Education Association. A diversity index (DI) was calculated for each program. A DI of 0.5 means that the representation of Black/Hispanic graduates is half their representation in the benchmark population. Although the numbers of Black/Hispanic graduates increased from 2010 to 2012 to 2019 to 2021, the percentage of Black graduates decreased. Nationally, the DI for Black graduates decreased from 0.28 to 0.23 and the Hispanic DI increased from 0.28 to 0.37 between 2010 to 2012 and 2019 to 2021. Among 213 PA programs included in the 2019 to 2021 dataset, 5 schools had a DI >1.0 for Black graduates and 7 schools had a DI >1.0 for Hispanic graduates. Using the IPEDS data, we found that Black and Hispanic graduates are underrepresented among PA program graduates. The PA education community needs to develop new strategies for diversifying the profession consistent with the new US Supreme Court decision banning race-conscious admissions.

Racial/Ethnic Trends in Virtual Mental Health Care Utilization Among Undergraduate Students: A Descriptive Study.

Undergraduate students are particularly in need of mental health support, but demand has far surpassed resources. This gap between mental health diagnoses and support is particularly large among Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, and Black students. Supplementing on-campus care with a virtual-only behavioral health partner may shift these trends. This study is aimed at comparing the number of undergraduate students from different racial/ethnic groups (White, Asian, Islander, Hispanic/Latinx, Black, Native, and Multiracial) engaging in virtual mental health visits as part of a partnership with a company providing virtual-only care, with the total enrolled undergraduate students at the same 113 institutions. We used de-identified visit data and self-reported race/ethnicity to define the "patient" population of undergraduates accessing care. We compared that to the full "student" population of undergraduates among the same schools, available as part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Patient population race/ethnicity (N = 14,870) differed significantly from student population race/ethnicity (N = 619,459). A significant effect ( 26 = 2258, P < .001) indicated that patient demographics differed from student demographics. We found proportionally more Asian, Black, and Multiracial patients than students. At the same time, we found proportionally fewer White and Hispanic/Latinx patients than students. We conclude that, in contrast to prior literature in traditional mental health care, some racial/ethnic minority undergraduates (Asian, Black, and Multiracial) may actually access care at a higher rate under a fully virtual model. On the other hand, White and Hispanic/Latinx students may access care less frequently.

Quantification of solo librarianship within American academic libraries between fiscal years 2016 and 2019 using IPEDS data

Insufficient reporting of the size of the solo academic librarian population exists. Utilizing Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) annual data and adhering to the 1989 Solo Librarians Caucus definition of solo librarianship, a method relying on IPEDS UnitIDs and the Human Resources (HR) survey component was designed to quantify this population working within American institutions of higher education for fiscal years 2016 through 2019. Pairing with additional IPEDS institutional data from two fiscal years provided overview insight into the institution types served by these professionals based on geographic region, enrollment full-time equivalents (FTEs), Carnegie Classifications, and annual library expenditure.

Sound the Alarm: The Sonographer Shortage Is Echoing Across Healthcare.

The growth in ultrasound usage necessitates concurrent growth in the number of sonographers. Despite the increasing importance of ultrasound, there is a shortage of sonographers in the United States that has never been specifically quantified. This study examines recent trends in the number of ultrasound exams, sonography graduates, open sonographer positions, and wages. This retrospective study uses public databases and surveys including the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and Zippia, a human resources platform to determine metrics. These metrics include the number of ultrasound exams conducted in the United States (excluding inpatient setting), number of sonographers and sonographer wages, sonography graduates, and open sonographer positions. Ultrasound exams in the United States from 2011 to 2021 increased from 38.6 million to 59.8 million (+55.1%,) while the number of sonographers (2011-2021) increased from 54,760 to 78,640 (+43.6%). There was a significant difference between supply and demand of sonographers with the number of sonography graduates (2011-2021) increasing from 4,386 to 5,393 (+23.0%) while the number of open sonographer positions (2012-2021) increased from 18,462 to 25,162 (+36.3%). From 2011 to 2021, the increase in the number of ultrasound exams has significantly outpaced the increase in the number of sonographers. Furthermore, the increase in demand for sonographers has grown significantly faster than the supply, leading to a shortage and consequent strain on the healthcare system. To address the shortage, the number of sonography school openings should be increased, and the attendant challenges addressed.

Student Health Services at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions in the United States.

Student health services are associated with improved health outcomes and academic success, particularly among under-resourced college populations. This study compared student health services at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) and identified factors associated with the availability of comprehensive health services (CHS). We conducted a secondary analysis of 2022 data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) Directory, and the websites of HBCUs and PBIs (n=167). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were undertaken to identify institutional variables associated with providing CHS. Institutional variables included college type (public vs. private), MSI category (HBCU vs. PBI), undergraduate enrollment, location, and proportion of Pell grant recipients. Approximately 13% of HBCUs and 26% of PBIs offered no student health services; 65% of HBCUs and 39% of PBIs offered on-campus CHS with prescribing providers. Four-year HBCUs were five times more likely than 4-year PBIs to have CHS (p=0.014). Institutions with more Pell Grant recipients were less likely to offer CHS. Access to health care is an important social determinant of health, academic persistence, and achievement for college students. HBCUs were significantly more likely than PBIs to offer CHS. HBCUs are more likely than PBIs to have resources from federal funding, donors, and endowments that may support the development of student health centers and services. Increased funding for PBI health centers could improve access and promote health equity among the most vulnerable student populations.

Black and Hispanic Representation Declined After Increased Degree Requirements for Physician Assistants.

The physician assistant (PA) profession is one of the least racially and ethnically diverse health professions requiring advanced education. New PA graduates are even less diverse than the current PA workforce and less diverse than professions requiring doctoral degrees. Between 1995 and 2020, the percent of all PA graduates that were Black individuals fell from 7% to 3.1%, while Hispanic representation increased from 4.5% to 7.9%. Using the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, we examine the impact of transitions to master's degrees for PAs on Black and Hispanic representation between 1995 and 2020, using individual universities as the unit of analysis. After adjusting for state and year effects, PA programs that transitioned from bachelor's to master's degrees experienced a 5.3% point decline in Black representation and a 3.8% point decline in Hispanic representation. Relative to the already low proportions of Black and Hispanic graduates in PA programs, these declines are significant. Steps should be taken to ensure that underrepresented populations have greater access to PA education.

Federal Student Loan Debt in Public Health and the Opportunities for Loan Repayment Programs.

A need persists for graduates with public health training in government public health roles; however, earnings for these positions tend to be lower when compared with earnings for people with undergraduate or graduate training who are working in other sectors, such as private health care or pharmaceuticals. This study assessed federal student loan debt associated with education for public health, with an aim to quantify the need that may be met through the federal Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (PHWLRP), which is one tool that policy makers have proposed to incentivize people with public health training to pursue employment in government public health. We analyzed federal student loan data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics College Scorecard for the 2018-2019 academic year. We merged these data with the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to estimate the number of degrees awarded. We used Spearman rank correlation to compare associations between debt and annual earnings by award level (bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees). Across all award levels, the median level of federal student loan debt associated with education for public health was $33 366. The median annual earnings 1 year after graduation were $80 687 for graduates with doctoral degrees and $33 279 for graduates with bachelor's degrees. As policy makers attempt to strengthen the public health workforce with a focus on funding and implementing the PHWLRP, the existing levels of student debt should be considered to ensure that programs such as the PHWLRP are funded and reflect the needs of graduates and government public health employers.

Convergence Issues for Disability Measures at Public 2-Year Institutions

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how triangulating responses from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) with information from the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) exposes data incongruency, specifically when considering the population of students with disabilities at 2-year institutions. Data from 503 CCSSE institutions were aggregated to calculate the average proportion of respondents who use services for students with disabilities, and then were compared to the percent of undergraduates who are formally registered with the institution’s Office of Disability Services, as reported to IPEDS. Pearson correlation coefficients indicated statistically significant relationships, that are yet moderate in strength, between these measures of disability services use (.274 &lt; r &lt; .331), compared to strong correlations of measures of gender, race, and enrollment (.618 &lt; r &lt; .955). These effects indicate an incongruency between measures of disability, compared with other aspects of demography. Accounting for coverage of survey data using a multiple linear regression model did not improve convergence. These findings have implications both for institutional staff to triangulate their data to see if there is a need to review reporting procedures, and for higher education scholars who work with these data to understand the proportion of disabled students in the 2-year sector.

The gender gap in STEM at top U.S. Universities: change over time and relationship with ranking

Addressing the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields may be an opportunity to promote equity and enhance institutional environments and their performance. We aimed to measure male-dominated undergraduate programs’ change in gender diversity over time, whether it has been converging, and whether it correlates with disciplinary ranking. We considered the number of degrees conferred in 60 disciplines over 19 years at 24 universities representing the top 20 universities of two lists using data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). We found that the nine most male-dominated disciplines fell within STEM, suggesting continued effort is needed to address the gender gap. Eight of the nine most male-dominated disciplines increased in gender diversity over time, especially between the two most recent time periods, suggesting contemporary policies are often effective. We also found that five out of eight of the most male-dominated disciplines converged over time, which may imply increasing homogeneity in these universities’ gender-diversity policies in some disciplines. Of the nine most male-dominated disciplines, computer science and mechanical engineering had statistically significant results that suggested higher-ranked universities in these disciplines weakly correlated with higher disciplinary gender diversity. The weak correlation between rank and women’s representation suggests that universities with increased resources are better able to create effective initiatives to increase women’s representation in STEM. More broadly, our results suggest these 24 universities’ initiatives have been effective in reducing the STEM gender gap from 2002 to 2021, but room for improvement remains.

The Anti-Affirmative Action Avalanche: The Rise of Underrepresented Minority Enrollment at For-Profit Institutions

The study of affirmative action bans suffers from focusing on the ivory tower as the site for the impacts of affirmative action bans. Prior literature on affirmative action bans has missed the bigger picture, failing to see that less glamorous schools have also been impacted by the bans. This article fully fleshes out the impacts of affirmative action on postsecondary education by their level of selectivity (Barron’s Admissions Competitiveness Index) and sector (private, public, and for profit) from a merged data set (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the Current Population Survey) spanning 1991 to 2016. The results of a differences-in-differences analysis find that a small group of for-profit institutions with very large enrollments became a destination for underrepresented minority students in the wake of affirmative action bans.

Promise Program Effects at a Large, Urban Institution: A Study of Miami Dade College’s American Dream Scholarship

College promise programs, or place-based scholarships, are aimed at helping students attend and afford higher education. The American Dream Scholarship (ADS), offered by Miami Dade College (MDC), is a promise program that covers tuition and fees for the first 60 credits of an associate degree for students residing in and graduating from high school in Miami-Dade County. In this study, we relied on Bourdieu’s (1986) sociological framework to conceptualize the impact of the ADS on MDC’s student body. We posed the research question of whether the scholarship had any effect on total first-time, full-time college enrollment at MDC. Utilizing data primarily from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, we used two comparison groups of colleges that were untreated by any county-level promise program: 26 colleges in the Florida College System and 37 public institutions nationally with the same Carnegie Classification as MDC. We applied difference-in-differences analyses and event studies to explore our research question. Results suggest that compared to untreated institutions in the Florida College System and institutions with the same Carnegie Classification, MDC enrolled 18.5% and 32% more first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduates, respectively, after ADS’s inception. This enrollment increase demonstrates that ADS positively contributed to MDC’s programmatic goals to increase student enrollments.

Overview of undergraduate degree programs related to human development and family science

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this overview of academic programs related to Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) is to describe the current status of HDFS in the academy.BackgroundHDFS is an interdisciplinary nexus of family science, developmental science, and early childhood education (ECE), often coexisting in academic units.MethodUniversities were identified using Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes in Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data. Program information was identified by review of university websites and online catalogs.ResultsSix hundred thirty‐six programs granted 28,000 HDFS‐related degrees in the United States in 2019. Universities are evenly split between public and private and are geographically diverse. Approximately half of programs self‐identify as HDFS, 30% ECE, 15% developmental science, and 5% family science. The largest number of programs (53%) were in colleges of education, but they were widely dispersed across campuses, with self‐identified HDFS programs likely to be in colleges that reflect a home economics heritage. The most common department name was Human Development and Family Studies/Science, but these were only 25% of programs. Department names and degree names reflect an interdisciplinary collaboration of developmental science with family science but were less likely to reflect early education. There was little correspondence between the name of degrees offered and the CIP codes attached to them.ConclusionHDFS has a large and interdisciplinary presence on university campuses but an unclear identity.ImplicationsHDFS needs to clarify its relationship with ECE and to decide whether to standardize its complex and interdisciplinary identity.

Factors that Influence the Academic Success of College Athletes Participating in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The purpose of this research is to conduct an exploratory study examining factors that influence the academic success of college athletes participating in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), a subject that has not been empirically studied. For this study, academic success defined as retention and graduation, represents the dependent variables of interest. Additionally, this study examines actors influencing academic success including institutional financial aid, background characteristics (race, gender), college experience (GPA, residential housing), athletic characteristics (sport, athletic expenses), organizational structure, and participation as a varsity or non-varsity athlete. This study uses institutional data from 2019-2020 NAIA’s Return on Athletics (ROA) initiative, and data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Logistic regression is used to answer two research questions exploring the factors that influence NAIA college athlete success. Findings indicate athletes are retained at a high rate in comparison to available NAIA data, but certain sub-groups may be at risk for attrition. Specifically, non-varsity athletes, athletes with a grade point average below 3.0, or those who have been enrolled less than two years.

Descriptive National Evidence Comparing Hispanic and White Student Graduate Degree Completion Rates

Using data from the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), longitudinal trends in graduate degree completion rates for Hispanic and White students were analyzed over a period of 17 years (2002–2019). The results indicated that there was a significant positive linear trend in graduation rates for both Hispanic and White graduate students, with no adverse impact in graduate degree completion rates for Hispanic students when compared to White students.

기관분석(IR)에 기반을 둔 한⋅미 대학정보공시 시스템 비교연구

Objectives This study looks at the university information disclosure system between Korea and the United States, and secure the possibility of using individual variants from the viewpoint of Institutional Research(IR).&#x0D; Methods As a representative university information disclosure system for this purpose, This study uses Korean University Alert and the US Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System(IPEDS) and examines individual university variables. It examines the disclosed pre-classification criteria and visualizes data centered on key performance indicators on the websites.&#x0D; Results University Alert has students, faculty/research, educational conditions, university management, industry-university cooperation, and budgeting/closing as standards. IPEDS has Institutional Characteristics and Student Charges, Admissions and Test Scores, Fall enrollment, Completions, Outcome Measures, Student Financial Aid, Human Resource, and Academic Library as standards. detailed university variables are provided. In addition, while university alert has the cahracteristics of government-centered perspectives on data collection, provision, and print, However, IPEDs has more student-towarded approach such as educational cost, backgrounds, and retention information. Based on this, the results of Korea-US comparative analysis of key university information presented in 13 major fields in 4 areas, including students, faculty/research, finance, and educational conditions, were presented.&#x0D; Conclusions TThe results of the study show that efforts for integrated data collection and visualization are necessary for analyzing the effectiveness of university education. This can be used as a reference not only for related researchers but also for future students and parents who are consumers of the university. It implies that those website will be used as a major resource for data-based decision-making by policy makers.

Four-Year College Completion Rates: What Accounts for the Variation?

Higher education has been touted as critical to social mobility, even greater longevity; however, these benefits accrue with degree completion, and many students who begin college never earn a degree. Using the most recent Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), we sought to understand variation in college completion rates and test hypotheses related to a set of institutional factors potentially associated with higher completion rates. Our findings suggest that greater attention to low-resource institutions is paramount if higher education is to fulfill the aspiration of promoting social mobility and equity. Several policy interventions could be used to combat ongoing disparities.