Presentations

IRAP seeks opportunities to increase awareness and support transparency efforts by sharing information about the University of California through presentations to colleagues, community members and others interested in higher education. In some cases, IRAP is sharing initial work to engage in discussions about how to approach institutional research and academic planning issues. Below are some examples of presentations given by IRAP staff.

Collaborative efforts to strategically use data and foster student success November 2024 PDF

November 2024

This 2024 CAIR presentation describes the process of engaging with faculty, staff, and administrators to tell compelling stories about the initiatives, programs, and strategies they engage in that foster student success and make progress toward equity goals.

Equitable storytelling and the pitfalls of dashboard thinking November 2024 PDF

November 2024

This CAIR presentation explains how data dashboards are ubiquitous in higher ed, but ‘dashboard thinking’ can limit problem solving and stymie institutional change. The session content and interactive discussion examine how higher education professionals ask and answer questions related to outcome disparities.

We’re here! We’re queer!” Administrative data reforms for LGBTQ+ November 2024 PDF

November 2024

This CAIR 2024 presentation describes the data reforms that will enhance the representation of the LGBTQ+ community.

Best practices in survey administration at the University of California Office of the President September 2024 PDF

September 2024

This presentation at SERU 2024 describes changes in UC systemwide survey response rates and best practices in survey administration at the University of California Office of the President.

Student wellbeing and basic needs at the University of California: Current situation and strategies for improvement September 2024 PDF

September 2024

This presentation at SERU 2024 examines student wellbeing and basic needs at the University of California, and briefly describes UC strategies for student mental health and basic needs improvement.

UC student mental health, financial confidence, and basic needs February 2024 PDF

February 2024

This presentation for the Student Mental Health Oversight Committee (SMHOC) examines undergraduate and graduate students' reported experiences regarding their financial situation, basic needs insecurity, and mental health. Findings generally illustrated challenges in these areas and a strong relationship between financial challenges/basic needs insecurity and mental health.

Graduate student satisfaction, progress to degree, and wellbeing February 2024 PDF

February 2024

This presentation for the Council of Graduate Deans (COGD) examines graduate student’s reports experiences across a wide range of topic areas, comparing and contrasting the most recent responses collected in 2023 to the 2021 administration of the UC Graduate Student Experience Survey (UCGSES). Findings generally illustrated financial and mental health challenges and positive reports regarding overall satisfaction, climate, progress to degree, and career prospects.

Institutional research's role in supporting resilience among nonbinary students November 2023 PDF

November 2023

This presentation at CAIR 2023 examines the experience of nonbinary undergraduate and graduate students at UC relative to their cisgender peers. In-depth analyses examine various predictors of anxiety and depression, notes the higher frequency of social challenges, and reveals the academic achievement resiliency of UC’s nonbinary students.

A UX approach to data visualizations and navigation September 2023 PDF

September 2023

This presentation provides an introduction to the user experience (UX) design approach and how it can be used to evaluate and improve the entire experience of accessing and interacting with Tableau dashboards.

UC survey response rate strategies and considerations 2023 August 2023 PDF

August 2023

This presentation shows changes in response rates over time for UC surveys, and shares challenges and strategies for improving future survey response rates. Presented at the 2023 UC Institutional Research Directors and Survey Coordinators Summer Meeting.

UC admissions outcomes during COVID-19 and elimination of the SAT/ACT November 2022 PDF

November 2022

This presentation looks at freshman undergraduate admissions during the time of COVID-19 (fall 2020 and 2021) and the elimination of the SAT/ACT in fall 2021. Presented at CAIR 2022.

Comparisons of undergraduate experience between first-year stopouts and persisting students June 2022 PDF

June 2022

This presentation at the 2022 SERU Research Symposium describes comparisons of UC freshman experiences between first-year stopouts and persisting students.

What is it worth? Illuminating the value of a college degree October 2021 PDF

October 2021

This presentation at CAIR 2021 describes the research and process of evaluating the value of a college degree.

Diversity, campus climate, and student success at the University of California October 2021 PDF

October 2021

This presentation at CAIR 2021 describes a strategic approach to examining two decades of change in diversity, campus climate, and student success at the University of California

UC systemwide survey data training September 2021 PDF

September 2021

A presentation of UC systemwide survey data training presented by IRAP analysts.

Diversity, campus climate, and student success at UC: Two decades of change from 2000 - 2020 June 2020 PDF

June 2020

This SERU presentation describes structural diversity over two decades at UC, student perceptions and attitudes towards campus climate longitudinally and the relationship between student perceptions of climate and their outcomes.

And the survey says - Preliminary survey data for strategic decisions November 2020 PDF

November 2020

This presentation at CAIR 2020 explains how the UC student experience survey shaped the strategic discussions and cross-campus collaboration among various leadership groups and how an interdisciplinary team collaborated on the analysis of survey data, navigated the dynamic requirements, addressed the issues surrounding the response collection, and formulated a workflow to disseminate the results to the corresponding leadership groups.

Student basic needs at the University of California: Data collection and results July 2020 PDF

July 2020

UC has begun collecting student basic needs data since 2015. This presentation at the UC Systemwide Basic Needs Retreat provides an overview of the modules UC uses to assess food and housing insecurity and also basic needs results from undergraduate and graduate student surveys.

More colors of the rainbow - diversity in students' sexual orientation January 2020 PDF

January 2020

Universities have begun collecting data on gender identity and sexual orientation. This presentation (at CAIR 2019) considers what is left out when universities create gender and sexual orientation categories for administrative data collection.

Rethinking the data collection of identity in Native American students January 2020 PDF

January 2020

This presentation at CAIR 2019 focuses on challenges encountered when using self-reported Native American identity and explores the collection and reporting of undergraduate students’ tribal affiliation at UC. Presenters discuss recommendations for future research and student support practice.

Reporting post-graduation outcomes of doctoral students using NCSES/NSF data January 2020 PDF

January 2020

In this presentation at CAIR 2019, the presenter discusses the process of obtaining a license to access the National Science Foundation’s restricted-use data, provides an overview of the available information on doctoral students, and explores time to doctorate for PhD students.

Developing a dashboard to compare predicted and actual graduation rates December 2019 PDF

December 2019

A presentation at the 2019 California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference. The study introduces a new methodology to predict undergraduate student graduation rates and how to create a dashboard to engage campus leaders to use the results to develop a strategic plan for student completion.

Using text analysis of "Most meaningful experiences" to inform policy December 2019 PDF

December 2019

This presentation outlines the framework, a sample policy question, text analysis strategies, and a sample policy influence.

Once upon a time, there was an institutional researcher December 2019 PDF

December 2019

A presentation at CAIR 2019 describing best practices for institutional researchers telling stories about data.

Understanding extracurricular activities' impact on employment outcomes November 2018 PDF

November 2018

A presentation at the 2018 California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference. Participation in extracurricular activities is vital to student success and has been increasingly discussed as ways to complement academic curriculum and enrich students' educational experience. This study examines relationships between participation in extracurricular activities and post-graduation outcomes of undergraduate students who received a bachelor’s degree from University of California.

Collecting sexual orientation and gender identity data in an educational context November 2018 PDF

November 2018

A presentation at the 2018 California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference. Educational institutions are increasingly interested in collecting and analyzing data on students’ gender identity and sexual orientation. This presentation explores concepts related to sexual orientation and gender identity and considerations for institutions that want to collect that data. Emphasis is put on identify the purposes of collection and data use procedures.

Is the value of a college degree equivalent for all? November 2018 PDF

November 2018

A presentation at the 2018 California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference. Researchers explore the relationship of student gender, race, major, GPA and graduate degree with post-graduation earnings. Findings show that UC graduates are not immune to gender/racial pay gaps that exist nationally. While findings differ by industry of work and major, there are differences in pay associated with being female and/or being from an underrepresented minority group for UC alumni.

The path to data governance at UC November 2017 PDF

November 2017

A presentation at the 2017 California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference about Data Governance practices at the UC Office of the President and the UCLA campus. It presents some of the work that is actively being done around Data Quality Management, Metadata Management, Document and Content Management, Reference and Master Data Management, Data Operations Management and Data Security Management.

How do we know if alumni go on to graduate school? November 2017 PDF

November 2017

A presentation at the 2017 California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference. Unlike student success measures such as graduation rates and employment outcomes, comprehensive statistics on graduate school outcomes of undergraduates are largely unavailable. We review the NSC data to assess graduate school enrollment and completion of UC undergraduate alumni.

A survey study on student basic needs at the University of California November 2017 PDF

November 2017

A presentation at the 2017 California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference on student basic needs at the University of California and future directions to address the food insecurity issue.

Managing institutional research from behind the scenes November 2016 PDF

November 2016

A presentation at the California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference on IRAP’s vision, mission, values, strategic directions and deliverables.

Assessing the value of Study Abroad and internship programs on student outcomes November 2016 PDF

November 2016

A presentation at the California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Conference on an IRAP study to assess the impact of participating in UC’s study abroad and systemwide internship programs on students’ academic, experiential, and employment outcomes.

The UC Information Center: How did they do it? November 2016 PDF

November 2016

A presentation at the 2016 Tableau Conference to introduce attendees to the UC Information Center, which provides key information about the University of California by highlighting UC activities and achievements using Tableau data-driven narratives and visualization, and the crucial steps taken to develop the website.

Continued discussion on changing California demographics November 2016 PDF

November 2016

A presentation to the Regents Academic and Student Affairs committee on changing California demographics through 2040 and ways the University of California is preparing to meet demand.

Changing California demographics September 2016 PDF

September 2016

A presentation to the full Board of Regents on changing California demographics through 2040 and implications on the University of California.