SGER: Proof of Concept of a New Business Model for the Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

SGER: Proof of Concept of a New Business Model for MIDFIELD: the Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development This SGER award will explore a new business model for providing access to the MIDFIELD database. The team seeks to demonstrate proof-of-concept of an automated process for incorporating new institutional datasets into the database, including validation and the identification of certain academic policies identified that relate to the present work. With a simplified process for incorporating data from new partner institutions, it will be easier to recruit those partners and, thus, easier to expand the database. This will both increase the power of the research conducted using the database and enhance the generalizability of the studies conducted. The research published using this database of this work has implications for students, faculty, advisors, higher education administrators, government granting agencies, and legislative bodies. An expanded set of institutional partners providing data to the database will increase the impact of the findings from research using the database, both by enhancing the reputation of the research and by providing more context for institutions that might consider making changes in response to those findings. Furthermore, the team of researchers studying the database will grow as the number of institutional partners grows. As a result, the scholarly output from the database will increase considerably.