In Producing Indicators of Institutional Quality in Ontario Universities and Colleges: Options for Producing, Managing and Displaying Comparative Data, the Educational Policy Institute (EPI) assesses the information needs of Ontario’s postsecondary system, what types of comparative quality indicator data are currently available, and how an effective common higher education data architecture could be structured.
EPI finds that a wide variety of potentially comparable data exists in Ontario, though not in a centralized or easily accessible format. Examples of this data include Common University Data Ontario (CUDO), the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), and commercial institutional rankings. After reviewing several potential models for a common data architecture, EPI suggests an “Open Access Model ” would best serve the needs of Ontario postsecondary stakeholders. Such a model would be collaboratively developed and maintained, striving to meet the informational needs of government, institutions, and students.
The Educational Policy Institute is a private, for-profit collective association of researchers and policy analysts with the goal dedicated to the mission of enhancing knowledge of critical barriers facing students and families throughout the educational pipeline. EPI also focuses on learning quality issues within higher education systems.