Enhanced Student Information System ESIS An Overview

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Enhanced Student Information System (ESIS) - An
Overview

• CIRPA
• Montréal
• October 19, 2004

Note Modifications have been made to the
original presentation to account for comments
received from conference participants.
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Traditional STC student surveys, and when they
were created
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Limitations of traditional STC student data
surveys

• Independent systems
• Not comprehensive and comparable
• Only snapshots - not covering the entire year
• Only cross-sectional, not longitudinal
• No ability to track information across programs,
  institutions, sectors, time and space
• No information on courses
• No information on delivery methods
• No information on program characteristics,
  admission criteria, on-the-job training,
  institution of instruction
• Lack of information on tuition fees
• No information on continuing education
• Unable to meet needs researchers and
  decision-makers
• Increasing needs for accountability data
• Inaccurate reflection of education systems in 2000

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ESIS Objectives

• General
• Provide better data for researchers and
  decision-makers
• Provide a better measure of student numbers
• Data content
• Comprehensive and comparable data
• Increase time covered full-year count instead
  of a snapshot count
• Broaden the information content by including more
  details on programs offered, and by adding course
  information
• Provide better indication of the performance of
  education systems
• Provide a better understanding of student flows
  (mobility and pathways)
• Provide some understanding of lifelong learning
• Expand scope (private education continuing
  education)
• Other
• Provide a sample frame for surveys of individuals
• Possibility of linking ESIS data to other survey
  data in order to perform specialized analyses

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ESIS Data Collection - File Structure

• Approximately 200 variables
• Relational database composed of seven (7) files
• Three (3) related to institution
• Four (4) related to student

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ESIS Data Processing

• At the institution
• Create the six (6) or seven (7) ESIS data input
  files
• Validate the coherence of the data using STCs
  E7-Data Validation Application
• At Statistics Canada
• Verify the data coherence and make proper
  corrections
• Standardize the data elements reported to make
  them comparable across the country
• Create the derived variables
• Create the analytical files used for data
  dissemination
• Analyze the data for consistency and compare it
  to external sources

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ESIS - Standardization process
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ESIS Examples of derived variables

• Geography (Standard Geographical Classification -
  CMA/CA/CD)
• Age
• Years since elementary/secondary
• Coded fields of study (CIP, USIS, CCSIS, TVOC)
• Program and course duration in hours and
  semesters
• Distance from current and permanent residence
• Counts for four specific periods (fall snapshot,
  fall, winter, spring/summer)

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CIP - Classification of Instructional Programs

• A taxonomy of instructional programs
• Developed in 1980 by U.S. National Center for
  Educational Statistics (NCES)
• Now being Canadianized implemented at
  Statistics Canada for use in all educational
  surveys
• Advantages
• Consistent with major trading partner NAFTA
• Adaptable to North American Industrial
  Classification System (NAICS)
• Being considered by other countries
• Detail allows comparisons with other systems

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CIP - How is it structured?

• 49 2-digit summary groups, e.g.,
• Education Engineering Library Science
• 386 4-digit program groups e.g., within
  Engineering
• Aerospace Agricultural Architectural Biomedical
• Chemical Civil Electrical Mechanical
  Metallurgical
• Naval/Marine Petroleum Surveying
• 1,432 individual programs e.g., within Education
  (13) and Special Education (13.01)
• Teaching the Gifted and Talented
• Teaching Individuals with Emotional Disturbances
• Teaching Individuals with Vision Impairments
• 13 primary groupings defined by NAFTA countries
  (not technically part of CIP)

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ESIS Data Certification

• Processed data is returned to each institution
  and/or coordinating body for certification to
  ensure the quality of the information to be
  published prior to publication
• Data is returned to data providers using the
  Beyond 20/20 Browser
• Data is encrypted to ensure confidentiality.
• Data anomalies are to be reported to STC along
  with the required data in order to make proper
  corrections prior to publication.

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ESIS - Extract Files

• Cross-sectional
• Five (5) data extracts files available
• Program enrolments
• Graduates
• Student
• Program
• Course enrolments
• Details available in ESIS Data Dictionary
• New extracts available

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ESIS Cross-sectionalExample of file content
(partial)

• Program Enrolment
• Year of start of report cycle
• Snapshot, Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer and Full
  Year period
• Reporting institution
• Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) or
• Census Agglomeration (CA), province and Census
  Division of
• reporting institution
• Student registration status - Snapshop
• period
• Status in program at end of report
• cycle
• Field of Study - Classification of
• Instructional Programs (CIP)
• Program level
• Credential type
• Continuing education indicator
• Age
• Sex

• Immigration status
• Country of citizenship
• Previous country
• Previous educational activity
• Previous postsecondary credential
• type
• Number of years since last attended
• elementary or secondary school
• Country, Province, Institution where last
  attended
• elementary or secondary school
• Program duration
• Number of months since start of
• program
• Number of cumulative credits for
• program
• Total transfer credits
• Tuition fees billed for program
• Other compulsory fees billed for
• program

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ESIS Next step (1)

• Development of longitudinal file
• A unique longitudinal record is created for each
  postsecondary student to provide a picture of
  student flows (mobility and pathways) and system
  performance.
• Mobility geographic movement
• Pathways movement among fields of study, levels
  of education, registration status

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ESIS Next step (2)

• Possible longitudinal indicators produced from
  ESIS
• System performance
• Retention, persistence and attrition rates by
  institution, province, type of institution and
  fields of study
• Student flows (mobility and pathways)
• Transfer rates from original institution, between
  provinces, between levels, between detailed
  fields

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ESIS - Participation as of January 2004

• ESIS has data from 80 of colleges universities
• Alberta privacy issue is nearing resolution.

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ESIS Dissemination Plan

• Providing for publication of full ESIS results by
  closing down previous survey, (e.g., USIS last
  collection 2003-2004). Current ESIS publications
  limited to previous survey content
• (Report Year, Province of Study, Institution of
  study, Sex, Age, Mother tongue, Province of
  permanent residence, Immigration status,
  Citizenship, Registration status, Field of study
  (CIP), Program Level)
• Finalized record linkage and publish a
  longitudinal analysis based on Maritimes
  university data.
• Providing access to longitudinal and
  cross-sectional file to researchers.

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Additional Information

• ESIS Web Site
• www.statcan.ca/english/concepts/ESIS/index.htm
• Contact us
• Telephone
• Monday to Friday
• 800 A.M. - 500 P.M. EST/EDST
• 1-613-951-1666
• E-mail
• ESIS-SIAE_contact_at_statcan.ca

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For more information