Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education (Jossey-Bass, 2015) Tim Cain is one of seven scholars who collaborated on this book to present a reframed conception and approach to student learning outcomes assessment. The authors explain why it is counterproductive to view collecting and using evidence of student accomplishment as primarily a compliance activity, and offer practical advice for making student learning outcomes assessment more effective and efficient. The book is published in partnership with the National Institute for Learning Outcomes and Assessment, whose mission is to disseminate promising practices that enable academic institutions to productively use assessment data to inform and strengthen undergraduate education. Institutional Research and Planning in Higher Education: Global Contexts and Themes (Routledge, 2015) Karen Webber collaborates with her Australian co-editor and a diverse set of contributors from around the world to explore institutional research and planning practices from a global perspective. They examine the impact of globalization, changes in student demographics, new technologies, and market forces on strategic planning and the nature of institutional research and decision support in higher education. The book sheds light on the past, present and future of institutional research, along with implications for higher education in general. The American Education Policy Landscape (Routledge, 2016) Jennifer Rippner, who recently served as an IHE postdoctoral research and teaching associate, used much of her time at the Institute to produce this book, based on her dissertation research. Rippner provides a comprehensive overview of early childhood, K-12, and higher education policy issues–examining governance structures at the local, state, and national levels; the process of policymaking; issues of educational finance; and the impact of stakeholders. The book provides aspiring and practicing educators, analysts, researchers and policymakers with foundational knowledge and context for understanding education policy. Economics of Higher Education: Background, Concepts, and Applications (Springer, 2016) Robert Toutkoushian and co-author Michael B. Paulsen (Univ. of Iowa), both trained as economists, have produced a book that is meant to explain to non-economists how economic theories and principles can be applied to understanding higher education problems and issues. The authors intend for the book to serve as an accessible resource for those who teach graduate-level courses in higher education programs. Among the topics covered are student investment, private and social returns, demand and supply, revenues and expenditures, and labor economics. Type of News/Audience: Research 2015 IHE Report
