Commentary: Not Receiving Invitations to our Surveys? Whitelisting for Qualtrics
We recently noticed that there might be an issue with institutions no longer receiving survey invitations from Qualtrics even though the Qualtrics data indicates the messages have been delivered. We spoke with Qualtrics and with a large institution with a sizable AACRAO roster. The solution appears to be to whitelist the following IP Space -
“Qualtrics USA IP Space: 162.247.216.0/22
This subnet (/22) span 1024 IP addresses. Although Qualtrics does not actively use all 1024 addresses in each range, we ask that customers whitelist the entire range as we reserve the right to make changes within each range at any time without causing client impact.”
If you have not been receiving the invitations to the 60-Second Surveys every other month, and did not opt out of receiving them or other AACRAO emails, this solution should work. Please
contact me if you do not receive the November 60-Second Survey, which is scheduled to be distributed on November 5th.
AACRAO Research Update
The November 60-Second Survey will be an update of the July 2015 survey of the same topic.
The results of the excess credits at graduation research project will be released as an article in the January 2019 issue of SEMQ and at a session at the SEM conference in November. A few sneak peek findings are:
- 91% of nearly 30,000 students had excess credits at graduation
- Most were neither pleased nor displeased with the excess credits; they knew it was going to happen
- 96% agreed that the university has programs and services in place to help them reach their educational goal
- 65% know why their credits didn’t transfer
- 89% know why they had excess credits at graduation from the university
Current Higher Education Research and Related Topics
Jobs and Education “Mix-Match”
The Urban Institute used data from the 2016 American Community Survey and the Department of Labor Statistics 2016 Occupational Employment Survey to compare “the share of people and jobs nationally and at the metropolitan area level” to get an understanding of the gap between jobs and education (see the figures from the report below).
The author notes that the analysis “highlights the importance of helping postsecondary students be strategic.” Tips include:
- Carefully choosing and completing a certificate or associate’s degrees in demand
- When possible set goals to complete a four-year degree
The author also points to resources and ideas for addressing the issue of “up-credentialing”. This is the phenomenon where employers increase the level of education required for a position even though the job itself has not changed.
Using Multiple Measures for Course Placement
The Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) released early results from their experimental study of 13,000 students at New York community colleges. This study examined the difference in using only standardized placement tests versus multiple measures and their relationship to pacing into and completing college-level courses. Some of the early findings include:
- 14% of those in the multiple measures group placed higher in math than they would under standard placement; 7% placed lower
- 41.5% placed higher in English than they would have otherwise, and 6.5% lower
- The difference in completion rate was less pronounced for math (17% experimental vs. 14% control group) than for English (40% experimental vs. 27% control).
Math Pathways Models
The Education Commission of the States and CAPR summarize three models of math education aimed at providing students with different math paths based on their course of study. The three models summarized in the document cannot be directly compared to one another because they use difference models of analysis. However, these three approaches (the Dana Center Mathematics Pathway, the Carnegie Math Pathways, and the California Acceleration Project) have assisted students in completing their math requirements.
Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound
The Institute for Education Sciences at the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance conducted a study of the effectiveness of Find the Fit in almost 200 Upward Bound Projects. Find the Fit is a program designed to help students increase the number and selectivity of the colleges to which they apply. This is the first of three reports on the study, and the findings below are the first indicators of program effectiveness.
- More students applied to four or more colleges.
- Students applied to more selective colleges.
- The program was designed to increase the importance that students and advisors placed on the quality of the colleges the students were considering. However, the program had no impact in this area.
- The percentage of students in the program completing the FAFSA by March 15th of their senior year was not significantly different than those not in the program.
Advising patterns regarding completing the FAFSA by March 15th and recommending students apply to more colleges did differ between advisors who participated in the program and those who did not.
In addition, the report takes a look at how Upward Bound projects implemented the advising components of the program.
College Pricing and Student Aid Trends
The College Board released its Trends in Higher Education Report. Highlights include the following:
- Public four-year sector tuition increased by 2.5% since 2017-2018
- Two-year colleges offer enough grant aid and federal tax relief, on average, to cover tuition and fees
- 1,000,000 fewer students enrolled in public two-year colleges in fall 2016 than in fall 2010
- The average tuition increase at public four-year institutions between 1987-1988 and 2017-2018 represented 57% of the increase in income of the middle 20% of families.
Addressing Structural and Motivational Barriers to CC Completion
A new comprehensive report from the Brookings Institute relates “making it easier for students to navigate the college environment and connect their coursework to their lives” with college completion. The author reviews literature on the issue of motivational and structural barriers to community college completion and ties the literature to policy and practice recommendations for addressing these two items.
Education Trends Report: Workforce Development Education
A new trends report by the Education Commission of the States identifies the trends in four states regarding workforce development legislation. Interviews were completed for Connecticut, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas. The interviews were analyzed and five themes emerged around workforce development systems:
- Although data is collected across the P20 system, utilization of this data varies
- Cross-agency collaboration is tied to greater success in workforce initiatives
- A vision from leadership is necessary for the topic to rise to prominence and “drive results”
- Credential outcomes must be aligned with the needs of the employer and economy