Glossary of Terms

SUNY IR Glossary

Common Data Set Definitions

Local Glossary

ANNUAL AVERAGE FULL TIME EQUIVALENT (AAFTE) STUDENT WORKLOAD: A unit of measure applicable to an academic year and typically derived from attempted CREDIT HOURS in Term Section. SUNY obtains these student credit hours from the SIRIS TERM SECTION submission. Currently, the standard AAFTE calculations used by System Administration refer to state-supported AAFTE and are based on activity reported in SIRIS to be state-supported.

Generally speaking, one AAFTE workload is equivalent to 30 student credit hours in undergraduate courses or 24 student credit hours in graduate courses.

ASSIGNED TIME: In addition to teaching/instruction, faculty are expected to fulfill responsibilities in the areas of instructional related activities (e.g. advisement), institutional/departmental service, research/scholarly related activity, administrative assignments, and public service activities. Faculty teaching workload (number of courses or credit hours) may be adjusted due to additional responsibilities according to the Assigned Time Guidelines (Insert Link https://www.oswego.edu/provost/faculty-assigned-time-guidelines).

Categories of Assigned Time include:

• Administration - Department/Program
• Administration – Institutional
• Coordination: Regular
• Coordination: Specific
• Large Group Instruction Other/Lab
• Scholarly Activity – Funded
• Scholarly Activity – Unfunded

EXTRA SERVICE: Extra service is defined as work by a full-time state employee in a state payroll agency other than the one to which the employee is regularly assigned. Extra service may not interfere with the employee's regularly assigned duties.

Extra service may only be paid after the service has been rendered.

COHORT: A group of students tracked longitudinally to assess traditional academic outcomes. For example, an entering cohort is typically tracked to establish retention and graduation rates. Common defining characteristics of a cohort may include FIRST-TIME or transfer status, full or part-time status, race/ethnicity, gender, entering student SAT scores or GPAs, and EOP status

CUPA: CUPA -HR collects data on salaries for administrators, faculty, professionals and staff, as well as on healthcare and other benefits. SUNY Oswego participates by providing its institution's data for the Faculty in Higher Education Survey.

COMMON DATA SET (CDS): The Common Data Set consists of the following sections:.

1. GENERAL INFORMATION
2. ENROLLMENT AND PERSISTENCE
3. FIRST-TIME, FIRST-YEAR (FRESHMAN) ADMISSION
4. TRANSFER ADMISSION
5. ACADEMIC OFFERINGS AND POLICIES
6. STUDENT LIFE
7. ANNUAL EXPENSES
8. FINANCIAL AID
9. INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY AND CLASS SIZE
10. DISCIPLINARY AREAS OF DEGREES CONFERRED

FACULTY SURVEY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT (FSSE): The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) was designed to complement the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which is administered to undergraduate students. FSSE measures instructional staff (faculty, instructors, graduate students who teach, etc.) expectations for student engagement in educational practices that are empirically linked with student learning and development.( http://fsse.indiana.edu/html/survey_instruments.cfm)

FACULTY FTE:  For use in the Campus Profile, Faculty FTE is calculated as follows:

Add together the FTE of department faculty (i.e., 1, .75, .5, etc.), subtract assigned time hours divided by 12, then add number of extra service courses x .13. The total is the department FTE.

For example:

Department FTE does not include Extra Service for anything other than teaching courses. In other words, a faculty member could be receiving extra service for New Adjunct Orientation, Coordinator for CPP Grant,  and Student Teacher Supervision, etc., however it does not count toward the FTE.

FULL TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE) STUDENT WORKLOAD: A unit of measure applicable to a semester and typically derived from student CREDIT HOURS. SUNY obtains these student credit hours from the SIRIS TERM SECTION submission. SUNY uses state-supported credit hours to calculate FTE:

UG FTE:  UG state-supported credit hours/15

GRADUATE FTE:  Grad state-supported credit hours/12

FULL-TIME STUDENT:

For headcount reporting purposes,

Full-time undergraduate - an UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT who is enrolled for 12 or more CREDIT HOURS

Full-time graduate - a GRADUATE STUDENT who is enrolled for 9 or more CREDIT HOURS

For tuition purposes,

Full-time undergraduate - an UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT who is enrolled for 12 or more CREDIT HOURS

Full-time graduate - a GRADUATE STUDENT who is enrolled for 12 or more CREDIT HOURS

GRADUATION RATE: The percentage of students from an entering COHORT who graduate within a specific time frame at the reporting institution. For example, a first-time, full-time COHORT of STUDENTS IN A BACHELOR’S DEGREE PROGRAM would typically be assessed at 4, 5, and 6 years out.

IPEDS (INTEGRATED POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION DATA SYSTEM): A system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). IPEDS gathers information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution that participates in the federal student financial aid programs. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires that institutions that participate in federal student aid programs report data on enrollments, program completions, graduation rates, faculty and staff, finances, institutional prices, and student financial aid. These data are made available to students and parents through the College Navigator college search Web site and to researchers and others through the IPEDS Data Center.

NATIONAL STUDENT CLEARINGHOUSE: A national database that lenders, loan service providers, guaranty agencies, schools, and students can access to verify student enrollment and degree information. SUNY System Administration utilizes this data for tracking transfers to non-SUNY institutions and for EDUCATION OUTCOMES (EO) reporting.

PART-TIME STUDENT:

For headcount reporting purposes,

Part-time undergraduate - an UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT who is enrolled for less than 12 CREDIT HOURS

Part-time graduate - a GRADUATE STUDENT who is enrolled for less than 9 CREDIT HOURS.

For tuition purposes,

All students (UNDERGRADUATE or GRADUATE) who are enrolled for less than 12 CREDIT HOURS

RETENTION /PERSISTENCE RATE: The percentage of students from an entering COHORT who continue to be enrolled at a specific point in time at the reporting institution. For example, a first-time, full-time COHORT of students in a bachelor’s degree program would typically be assessed at 1, 2, and 3 years out. Similarly, those in an associate’s degree program would typically be assessed at 1 year out.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION (SVP) CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY: First administered in academic year 2016-17, this is a campus climate assessment mandated by SUNY Board of Trustees resolution (October 2, 2014) and by NYS Education Law Article 129-B (applicable section effective July 2016). The survey is administered by all SUNY campuses every other year to both students and employees.

SIRIS: SUNY Institutional Research Information System (incl. Early Student, EOT Student, Course, Term Section, Degree, Financial Aid, Student Revenue)

SIRIS STUDENT INFORMATION SURVEY: For fall and spring semesters. A data submission made by each SUNY institution reporting the results of the Student Information Survey taken by students during the registration process for the next major term. New as of Fall 2016.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT MEASURE (SAM): A national project established to allow post-secondary institutions to more fully account for the outcomes achieved by all incoming students. SAM tracks cohorts defined by both full and part time status, and for incoming transfers as well as first-time students. SAM also accounts for degree completion at both the initial institution as well as subsequent institutions attended. See http://studentachievementmeasure.org for more information.

STUDENT OPINION SURVEY (SOS): A SUNY-specific survey administered in conjunction with ACT (American College Testing program) that measures student attitudes and opinions on significant aspects of the collegiate experiences (e.g. academic, student life, facilities, services). Typically administered every three years during the spring semester. The current administration is 4-year schools one year, 2-year schools the next year, and then an off-year.

STUDENT/FACULTY FTE RATIO: A ratio calculated by dividing the FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STUDENT WORKLOAD by the FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT FACULTY. i.e. FTE STUDENT WORKLOAD / FTE FACULTY

NATIONAL SURVEY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT (NSSE): The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collects information from first-year and senior students about the characteristics and quality of their undergraduate experience. Colleges and universities in the United States have used it to measure the extent to which students engage in effective educational practices that are empirically linked with learning, personal development, and other desired outcomes such as persistence, satisfaction, and graduation. NSSE data are used by faculty, administrators, researchers, and others for institutional improvement, public reporting, and related purposes.( http://nsse.indiana.edu/html/Nsse_overview_2018.cfm)

SUNY Oswego Online Annual Report data collection system: The online report form (and the supporting document) is organized in terms of strategic directions (impacts) and allows discussion of performance drivers and indicators for each impact by various units (e.g. Academic Affairs Academic and Non-Academic units, Students Affairs, President’s Office). Each unit’s report will be retained, providing a lasting record of that unit’s accomplishments during the year. 

SUNY Oswego Online Annual Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activities data collection system:  Each year the division of Academic Affairs assembles a report on the significant achievements and contributions of members of our division in the areas of honors and awards, professional, campus, or community service, and scholarly and creative activities. The report is an important way to recognize noteworthy contributions made by members of our division over the past year

SUNY Oswego Online Annual Strategic Planning Indicators data collection system: The system collect Academic Affairs, Alumni and Development, and Student Affairs units’ quantitative data related to the Tomorrow strategic plan indicators during a year.