2. Janice Kelly and Jamie Isaac RTI International Turning Knowledge into Practice Report from the IPEDS Help Desk: Three Years of Providing Solutions

3. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION IPEDS Help Desk - Operated by RTI International - Specially hired and trained to serve IPEDS customers - Open weekdays 8:30am to 5:00pm Eastern time - Open evenings and weekends during the final week of each collection

4. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Meet the Help Desk Staff

5. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Meet the Help Desk Staff

6. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION IPEDS Stumper Time brought to you by the IPEDS Help Desk

7. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Starting Off…. Stumper #1 Can anyone tell us the significance of this music….

8. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Answer… It is the “hold” music on the telephone system used by the Help Desk.

9. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Stumper #2 How many total incoming calls did the Help Desk receive during the 2002-2003 collection year? A. 5,210 B. 10,604 C. 17,544 D. 22,413

10. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Answer… How many total incoming calls did the Help Desk receive during the 2002-2003 collection year? A. 5,210 B. 10,604 C. 17,544 D. 22,413

11. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Stumper #3 A. 8,664 B. 12,645 C. 18,038 D. 27,814 How many total outgoing calls did the Help Desk make during the 2002-2003 collection year?

12. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Answer… A. 8,664 B. 12,645 C. 18,038 D. 27,814 How many total outgoing calls did the Help Desk make during the 2002-2003 collection year?

13. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Stumper #4 How many total email exchanges did the Help Desk have during the 2002-2003 collection year? A. 3403 B. 4066 C. 6772 D. 8075

14. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Answer… How many total email exchanges did the Help Desk have during the 2002-2003 collection year? A. 3403 B. 4066 C. 6772 D. 8075

15. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Help Desk Activity 2002-03 by Collection

16. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Stumper #5 A. Institutional Characteristics B. Employees by Assigned Position C. Graduation Rates D. Finance E. Student Financial Aid Of all surveys, which generates the most questions from callers?

17. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Answer… A. Institutional Characteristics B. Employees by Assigned Position C. Graduation Rates D. Finance E. Student Financial Aid Of all surveys, which generates the most questions from callers?

18. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Stumper #6 Which of the following are former occupations of our recent Help Desk Staff? a. Engineer in the Army b. Computer programmer c. Ice cream vendor on the Washington DC Mall d. Telecommunications sales rep e. College residence life manager f. Minister g. Toy developer h. Disk jockey i. Logic instructor j. Car salesman

19. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION a. Engineer in the Army - Richard b. Computer programmer - John c. Ice cream vendor on the Washington DC Mall - Marc d. Telecommunications sales rep - Lisa e. College residence life manager - Maryhelen f. Minister - Gary g. Toy developer - Jamie h. Disk jockey – Mike i. Logic teacher – Bill j. Car salesman - Mack Answer……..All of the above!

20. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Stumper #7 A. Enter data earlier in the cycle? B. Enter data later in the cycle? C. Do about the same each year? Over the past three full collection years (‘00-’01, ‘01-’02, ‘02-’03), are institutions tending to…

21. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Answer…. A. Enter data earlier in the cycle B. Enter data later in the cycle C. Do about the same each year Over the past three full collection years (‘00-’01, ‘01-’02, ‘02-’03), institutions are tending to…

22. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION “Last Minute” Callers – Percent of calls received during final week of collection (Spring only)

23. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Stumper #8 A. Increased? B. Decreased? C. Remained relatively constant? Over the past three full collection years, has the utilization of the Help Desk…

24. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Answer… A. Increased B. Decreased C. Remained relatively constant Over the past three full collection years, the utilization of the Help Desk has…

25. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Trends in Help Desk Activity – 2000-2003 *2000-2001 cycle did not have a Winter collection period.

26. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Stumper #9 When we at the Help Desk do not know the answers to questions, what do we do? a.Hang up the phone b.Take a guess c.Re-write the instructions and post them to the web without telling anyone d.Ask the terrific staff at NCES

27. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Answer… When we at the Help Desk do not know the answers to questions, what do we do? a.Hang up the phone b.Take a guess c.Re-write the instructions and post them to the web without telling anyone d.Ask the terrific staff at NCES

28. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Some of our favorite lines... Which one is real? 2) You guys are the worst Help Desk ever. 1) I don't mean to gush, but really, you have all been so helpful.

29. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Some of our favorite lines... Which one is real? 1) Completing the IPEDS surveys is the most exciting part of my job. 2) It is well known in the world of institutional research that federal answers take longer to calculate.

30. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Some of our favorite lines... Which one is real? 1) I trust you that you noticed there is a problem with the information provided by our institution. 2) I trust that you noticed that we really have no idea how to complete this particular survey.

31. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION Some of our favorite lines... Which one is real? 1) Before I register, I’d like to exchange this password for a one that’s easier to remember. 2) We registered but never got a User ID or password. Can we get one?

32. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION In Closing… Thank you for your assistance in making IPEDS successful. And to help you remember to remind your institutions when… It’s IPEDS Time!

33. S URVEY R ESEARCH D IVISION A small gift to you… An IPEDS alarm clock.