Coming aboard: Making the decision to join a data-sharing organization

✍ Scribed by James F. Trainer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Weight: 503 KB
• Volume: 1996
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0271-0579
• DOI: 10.1002/ir.37019968908

✦ Synopsis

Each of the preceding chapters in this volume provided insight into a particular aspect of participating in an inter-institutional data exchange. The chapters covered such topics as guidelines for participating in data exchanges, the benefits and costs associated with engaging in such activities, and the technology involved in sharing data across institutions. Building on the information shared by the volume's other authors, this final chapter is designed to help individual readers decide whether joining a data-sharing group may prove beneficial to their institution. A series of questions are posed that those contemplating participating in data sharing should address prior to reaching a final decision on whether to participate in an exchange of any sort. Each of these questions is accompanied either by examples of the types of products one can expect to receive from a data-sharing activity or by a list of additional resources, beyond the scope of this volume, that the researcher may want to consult when making a decision about joining a data exchange.

Questions to Pursue

1. Why do I need comparative data? As noted in earlier chapters in this volume, there are many reasons why an institution might benefit from having comparative information. These include, among other things, having the ability to assess the institution's status relative to other institutions on such measures of institutional well-being as revenue streams and expenditure patterns and admission, retention, and graduation rates; being able to respond to calls from internal and external constituencies to benchmark an institution's practices and procedures against those of other institutions, and identifying and