Tracing the Responsiveness of a Sector at the Margins: Examining Proprietary Colleges' Institutional Research Behavior

Author: Constance Iloh
Presented at 2017 AERA

​Abstract: The author examines the unique institutional research identity and behavior of for-profit colleges and universities. By way of multi-site case study, the author finds the sampled for-profit colleges’ use of institutional research has been beneficial towards enrollment growth strategies but provided no mechanisms for quality assurance in response to the accreditation and regulatory climate of FPCUs. By focusing on institutional research, the author highlights how for-profit colleges’ institutional priorities are maintained and inhibit responsiveness to accountability.