Institutional Research Corporation uses cutting-edge technology to conduct institutional research for educational institutions.  We collect, analyze, and translate data into knowledge and understanding that enhances your ability to develop and implement data-driven decision-making processes.

With the need for educational institutions to manage enrollment, increase retention, improve academic performance, and increase student satisfaction, it's important to know that IRC uses the most advanced technology available to conduct institutional research and provide actionable insights.

TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS

SPSS - back to top

            Clementine

Clementine is a data mining tool that incorporates data from a variety of database systems that enables IRC to develop predictive models of institutional data.  These models can be effectively deployed within the educational institution to improve both strategic and operational decision making.

            mrInterview

mrInterview is a browser-based interface survey development and deployment tool used by IRC to collect information.  Questionnaires are developed using a unique scripting language that allows maximum control of survey features.  Surveys are created and fielded on-line while providing real time results which can be exported to various MS Office programs such as Word and Excel.     

            Base/Advanced Statistics

IRC extensively uses SPSS Base and Advanced statistics to conduct a broad range of statistical analyses to gain insight and understanding of institutional data.  These modules provide numerous univariate and multivariate statistical procedures such as frequencies, descriptives, linear and nonlinear regression, factor analysis, and survival analysis.  Results from these analyses are used to make smarter decisions more quickly by uncovering key facts, patterns, and trends.

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          Acrobat

IRC uses Adobe® Acrobat® 7.0 Professional software to improve responsiveness to students and streamline administrative processes through the development and implementation of interactive forms via the web.  These forms pull data from and save information to institutional databases which results in increased efficiency, reduced administrative costs, and more reliable information. 

            InDesign

InDesign CS2 is the primary reporting tool used by IRC to deliver professional report layouts with sophisticated graphics and typography.  Additional features include the importation of MS Word and Excel tables and charts and support for XML importing and exporting functions.  

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            Excel

Excel, the dominant spreadsheet program on the market, is used by IRC to arrange, manipulate, and analyze data to inform institutional decision-makers. Excel’s data analysis features along with its charting, graphing, and formatting capabilities make it essential for conducting institutional research including “what if” scenarios, trend analysis, and growth projections.    

            Access

IRC uses Access to create database solutions to organize, manage, and collect institutional data.  Access is also used to extract institutional data from other database systems through ODBC (Open Source Database Connectivity) to conduct complex statistical analysis and develop automated reporting functions.                        

            Word

Word is the word processing program of choice for IRC.  From the development of professional quality documents to support of Extensible Markup Language (XML), Word’s versatility and compatibility in institutional research is unparalleled. 

              PowerPoint

PowerPoint is an extremely dynamic and powerful tool for presenting institutional research information to educational decision-makers, which is why it is the program of choice for IRC.  Developing slides that incorporate multimedia, graphics, and animations make the presentation of institutional data meaningful and understandable. 

BUSINESS OBJECTS - back to top

            Crystal Reports

Crystal reports provides IRC with the ability to develop automated reports through connections to multiple data sources using numerous data drivers including ODBC, Oracle, OLAP, XML, and DB2 to name a few.  The increased functionality of Crystal enables IRC to develop a wide range of reports including cross-tabs, conditional, OLAP, and summary/drill down that can be exported in a variety of formats such as XML, HTML, Excel, PDF, and RTF.