What Are the Functions of Institutional Planners?

To fairly and equitably serve the needs of students, faculty, administrators and staff, their individual and collective educational and career growth needs require careful and methodical review and development. An institutional planner provides this service.



Job Function
1. Assessing current needs and projecting future ones is the main job function. The planner conducts statistical surveys on curriculum development, college and university projects, student retention, career fulfillment, and market competition. He consults with graduate students, faculty and administrators in the analysis of results and makes related recommendations.

Skill Requirements
2. Acuity in quantitative and qualitative analysis is necessary. Experience using analytical, data warehousing and spreadsheet software is required. Interpersonal communication skills help the planner effectively collaborate with support staff and students on data analysis.

Preferred Background
3. A master's degree in statistics, statistical analysis, institutional planning or a comparable field is required. Background in institutional planning at institutions of higher learning is helpful. Experience in simultaneously managing multiple projects is a plus.

How to Control Variables in Research Design

Research design is vital in planning for a reliable experiment based on a hypothesis, as inaccurate planning can lead to wrongly assuming that a correlation demonstrates a cause. Controlling the variables will ensure a higher level of accuracy and help you to reach a valid conclusion.


Instructions

Things You'll Need:

* Independent variables
* Dependent variables

1. Identify the independent variable in your experiment. This is the solitary variable that you are planning to change. You will also need to recognize the dependent variables, which are the variables that must remain consistent or else accuracy of the procedure will decrease.
2. Use "operationalization" techniques, such as double blind or randomization experiments, which will isolate the variables of natural fluctuations or chaotic rhythms and help to control them as much as possible. Analyze your results using statistical analysis, which will remove any natural fluctuating variables from the results.
3. Monitor all variables regularly and meticulously throughout your experiment to ensure a high level of reliability. It is also vital to plan to repeat your experiment many times as repetition will improve accuracy of the control of variables.