Using Typological Approaches to Understand College Student Experiences and Outcomes (PDF)

Facing a new round of criticisms on the quality of undergraduateeducation in American colleges and universities, higher educationadministrators are eager to find--or create--effectiveprograms and practices that can enrich student experiences andenhance outcomes. In order to do that, those who work at collegesand universities need to have a better understanding of theirstudents. Institutional researchers, with access to a wealth ofstudent data, have the analytical expertise to supply informationthat can guide institutional policy and practice. Typologicalframeworks particularly can be used to generate such information,and this volume presents rich examples of typological approaches tothe study of college students.

Typological research can reveal patterns in students'characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors and how those patternsare related to desirable outcomes such as learning and persistence,or to the nature, meaning, and utility of student-facultyinteractions outside the classroom. Such information can helpcampus leaders and other concerned groups gain a deeperunderstanding of their students, design better targeted andintentional interventions to optimize student experiences, andmaximize student learning and personal development outcomes.

This is a special supplemental issue of NewDirections for Institutional Research. Always timely andcomprehensive, this series provides planners and administrators inall types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas asresource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation,and institutional management.