Archive for July, 2010

As you’ve noticed by now, we’re taking an new, updated approach to our newsletter! We’ve moved to an online format to make it easier for people to read our newsletter in whatever way you prefer. We’ll keep letting you know via email when new newsletters go up on this website; let us know if there are others we should add to this mailing list. You can also get updates directly in your RSS reader (see the Entries (RSS) link at the bottom of the page); for those who still prefer printable PDFs, we’ll always make those available as well.

We’ve also updated our IR&DS website, bringing it more in line with the general Stanford “look and feel” and hopefully making our resources even easier to find. (more…)

In September 2009, SGG approved a new project to build and maintain an organization called a “Business Intelligence Competency Center”.  Rana Glasgal is the Program Manager of this project, with Vijay Gandra is the Information Technology Manager.  This article provides an update of the project. (more…)

We completed our upgrade from Business Objects version 6.5 to Business Objects XI R2 in early March.  By now, all users should have installed the latest version on their computers.  Business Objects is now integrated with Reportmart3, so users must go through Reportmart3 to create or run any Business Objects report.  The old version 6.5 no longer works and can be uninstalled from your computer.  If you have not upgraded to the latest version of the DSS Business Objects software, you can download instructions from the DSS website:

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/pres-provost/irds

Please contact Kathy Mahler (kmahler) or Lillian Lee (lillian.lee) if you have any questions or problems with the new version.

IR&DS has just subscribed to Webex Remote Support, which means that we can now provide better and more efficient user support for Business Objects.  Webex Remote Support allows us to access your computer from our own office (with your permission).   We can now debug your report errors or installation problems more quickly and easily.  Keep this tool in mind the next time you call IR&DS with a question about a Business Objects report or installation issue!

As has been written about in this newsletter many times before, the National Research Council (NRC) collected extensive data about research doctoral programs at universities throughout the United States during much of 2006-07.  (more…)

Stanford’s Student Affairs office has been busy this year with a variety of assessment and evaluation projects.  The establishment of the Assessment Coordination Committee in 2009 furthered the objective of creating a culture of assessment within Student Affairs and encouraged the use of primary data, collected internally, to inform decision-making in program management and strategic planning.  The committee worked diligently over the past year to evaluate the performance of programs and policies, and to implement evaluation studies. 

A Sample Poster

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This summer Stanford will submit its Capacity and Preparatory Review (CPR) report to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).  The CPR report documents the university’s fulfillment of the WASC Core Commitment to Institutional Capacity and describes the results of two research studies focused on Stanford’s writing and foreign language requirements.  The report also describes Stanford’s two themes of accreditation, Educating Students for Global Challenges, and the Small College Experience at a Research University, and the research being performed to support these themes. (more…)

This Summer IR&DS will launch two new surveys to assess Stanford’s incoming and sophomore classes.  These surveys are part of the University’s regular assessment schedule.  (more…)