MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION

 

Workforce Data System

(WDS)

 

 

 

 

 

August, 2001

 

 

Office of Information Systems

(410) 260-4586

 

 

 

 

MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION

 

 

 

 

     John J. Oliver, Jr., Chairman

 

   Dorothy Dixon Chaney

 

Edward O. Clarke, Jr.

 

Micah Coleman

 

Anne Osborn Emery

 

George S. Malouf, Jr.

 

David S. Oros

 

Charles B. Saunders, Jr.

 

Donald J. Slowinski, Sr.

 

Richard P. Streett, Jr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karen R. Johnson, J.D.

Secretary of Higher Education


 

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

  I.  Executive Summary

      A.  Objective ......................................……………  

      B.  Description ..................................…………….  

      C.  Major Use of Data .............................………...  

      D.  Data Access ....................................…………..  

      E.  Benefits ......................................……………...  

 

 

 II.  Statewide Overview

      A.  Maryland Higher Education Commission ......... 

      B.  Office of Information Systems ..................……  

      C.  System Design ..................................………….  

      D.  System Responsibilities ........................………  

 

 

III.  Policy Concerning the Privacy of Personally-identifiable Records

      A.  Statutory Requirements .........................……… 

      B.  Commission Policy ..............................……….  

      C.  Commission Procedures .........................……... 

      D.  Memorandum of Understanding ............……... 

 

 

 IV.  Workforce Data System

      A.  Objective .....................................…………….. 

      B.  Description ....................................…………… 

      C.  Selection Criteria .............................………….. 

      D.  Collection Requirements ........................……... 

      E.  System Design ..................................…………. 

      F.  Institutional Reports ..........................…………. 

      G.  Audit ..........................................………………

 

 

  V.  Institution Procedures

      A.  Software Installation ..........................………… 

      B.  Operating Procedures ..........................……….. 

 

 

 VI.  Appendices                                                             

  1. Data Dictionary         
  2. Glossary          

   C.  File Submission Form


Update History

 

The following table lists the update history of printings of this document, together with the respective release dates for each edition.  The software version indicates the release version of

the software product at the time the document was issued.  Do not expect a one-to-one correspondence between releases and document editions.

 

 

 

Update Number

Date

Software Release

 

 

 

Original

August 2001

#1

 

 

 

 

 

 


I.  Executive Summary

 

            This manual discusses the automated data collection systems used by the Maryland Higher Education Commission in collecting data on Maryland's postsecondary education.  These systems collect student enrollment, degree information, and employee information from an institution.  Data for each student or employee (based on SSN) is submitted by each institution on computer files to the Commission.  The procedures, standards, and data element definitions for each data collection are contained within its system manual.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS 

A.  Objective

 

            The objective is the collection of institution and student information from all public postsecondary education institutions in Maryland, independent collegiate institutions which fall under the State aid to independent institutions programs, and private career schools.  Employee information is collected from public institutions only.  These data elements are the basis of information systems that are compatible with the Federal post secondary education reporting structure, meet the planning and research objectives of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, allow accountability assessment, and provide information for the Maryland Student Outcomes and Achievement Report (SOAR), and provide performance outcomes for the post-secondary programs eligible for funding through the Workforce Investment Act.

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

B.  Description

 

The collection of unit-record data requires six systems that provide data file submissions:

 

·        Enrollment Information System (EIS)

·        High School Graduate System (HGS)

·        Transfer Student System (TSS)

·        Degree Information System (DIS)

·        Employee Data System (EDS)

·        Workforce Data System (WDS)

 

Each of these system files contains one record for each reported student.  The files contain three types of information.

 

·        Identification Information

·        Demographic Information

·        Detail Information

 

            The first two types of information are common to most files.  The third type is specific to each file's definition and purpose.  All three types are explained in the manual for each system.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

C.  Major Use of Data

 

·        To collect, maintain, and report information on the students enrolled in and graduating from Maryland postsecondary education institutions.

·        To provide the Maryland General Assembly with timely and accurate reports of the status of higher education in the State in support of statewide policy decisions.

·        To provide data to guide the Commission in making decisions on new program approvals and program discontinuance.

·        To provide the supporting data necessary to evaluate  the potential impact of Commission policies.

·        To analyze the performance of selected groups of students within the Maryland postsecondary education system.

·        To analyze the long-term effect of policies within the Maryland system of higher education.

·        To maintain the Cohort Tracking System, a longitudinal database of students in the Maryland education collegiate system.

·        To report to the U.S. Department of Education the enrollment and degrees conferred data that is annually requested.

·        To provide to the U.S. Office of Civil Rights statistical reports and satisfy other data requests.

·        To report to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the Higher Education Staff Information (EEO-6) through the federal Fall Staff survey.

·        To collect, compile and analyze program performance data to determine whether each WIA program meets the minimum performance standards required by the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board to remain on the State List of Occupational Training Programs eligible for funding through the Workforce Investment Act.

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

D.  Data Access

 

            The aggregated data reports derived from the student unit-record data systems are considered to be public information.  The Commission, however, treats the individual data records as "personally identifiable" and protects these records in accordance with legal requirements and other established policies (see Section II).  Institutional researchers and boards are encouraged to utilize these data systems for studies of institutions and/or higher education in Maryland within the limitations set forth in Section II.


Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

E.  Benefits

 

            The student unit-record data systems provide valuable benefits by permitting tabulations that are not possible with aggregate data.  The common definitions and linkages across the files in the system also produce a more comprehensive and comparable picture of higher education.

 

            Other benefits are:

·        The same source of data is used for Institutional studies, Federal reports, and State studies and reports produced by the Commission.

·        Flexibility of the information collected enables the Commission to be more responsive to new policy questions and issues.  Aggregate data is specific, single-result oriented while unit-record data is multiple-use oriented.

·        The ability to link diverse files permits a report or analysis to be understood within the total postsecondary education context.

·        Common data definitions provide for file and field consistency.  All institutions use the same basis for categorizing each student.  The reports are less susceptible to subjective interpretations of definitions and allow comparative analyses among various student groups.

·        Error correction is simplified since the inclusion of a student identification number allows a record with an error to be updated.  This is preferable to an operating procedure of replacing the whole file when an error is identified.

·        The production of trend reports and student profiles by subgroups is possible due to the inclusion of the necessary data elements and a student identification number.

·        The consolidation of multiple data requests into primary file requests alleviates some of the data collection burden placed on institutions.

 


Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

II.  Statewide Overview

A.  Maryland Higher Education Commission

 

            The Maryland Higher Education Commission is the central policy and coordinating board for higher education in the state of Maryland.  The duties and powers of the Commission apply to all state-supported institutions of higher education, including all independent postsecondary education institutions in the State, supported in whole or part by state funds and all community colleges.  The governing boards and institutions of the system of higher education in Maryland are obligated to conform to the policies set by the Commission within the authorities delegated to it in statute.

 

            The Commission is responsible for educational policy and issues in the following areas:

 

·        Finance

·        Capital construction

·        Long range planning

·        Program approval, review, reduction, and discontinuance

·        Systemwide planning

·        Accountability

·        State financial aid programs

·        State List of Occupational Training Programs eligible for funding through the Workforce Investment Act.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS 

B.  Office of Information Systems

 

            The Office of Information Systems is the component of the Commission that is responsible for data collection and data systems reporting, regarding such areas as student enrollment; formal awards; and employee data.  If it fails in its collection task, Information Systems cannot provide relevant information and analyses.  These data issues affect its performance:

 

·        value of data

·        accuracy of data

·        completeness of data

·        consistency of data

·        timeliness of data

 

Therefore, it has the following goals:

 

·        To respond to the information needs of the Maryland educational community, in particular to those of the Commission, in a professional and timely manner.

·        To achieve simplicity in data collection and reporting procedures that results in high quality data and places a minimum burden upon the reporting institutions.

·        To effect the optimum utilization of available resources:  Commission staff, institutional and governing board staff, and other state agencies.

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

C.  System Design

 

            The concept of unit-record reporting systems was developed to achieve higher quality data, single data source for each type of data, greater analytical flexibility, and reduction in institutional reporting burdens.

 

There are five files collected which can be interlinked based on the student's identification number:

 

·        Enrollment Information System (EIS)

·        High School Graduate System (HGS)

·        Transfer Student System (TSS)

·        Degree Information System (DIS)

·        Workforce Data System (WDS).

 

 

            The Enrollment Information System (EIS) is collected as a snapshot of the fall term each year during fall term.  It is used to provide:

 

·        data for federal reports; and

·        information to assess the current academic year.

 

            The High School Graduate System (HGS) is collected at the end of the academic year and represents an annualized performance summary of the first year of their enrollment.  This system provides:

 

·        support for longitudinal studies through cohort based tracing (such as retention, graduation rates, etc.);

·        comprehensive information on the progress of high school graduates in their first year of college; and

·        complete information for the SOAR feedback to secondary education officials.

 

            The Transfer Student System (TSS) is collected at the end of the academic year and provides data on students who transferred to 4 year colleges from community colleges.  This system was developed to provide:

 

·        feedback information to community colleges on the performance of their students after transferring to 4-year college; and support for longitudinal based studies.

 

            The Workforce Data System (WDS) is collected at the end of the academic year and represents an annualized performance summary of the Workforce Investment Act programs.  This system provides:

 

·        support for longitudinal studies through cohort based tracing (such as enrollment, completion rate, etc.);

·        complete information for the WIA Program Performance Standards completion rate and employment analysis; and

·        feedback information to post-secondary institutions on the student employment rates of WIA programs as derived by Jacob France Center (University of Baltimore) from Unemployment Insurance Wage Records.

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

D.  System Responsibilities

 

            The responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of the data and the readability of the files is primarily that of the institution.  Files with errors, and files that cannot be read may be returned to the institution for correction with appropriate written feedback.

 

The Commission provides two editing programs for each system.  An institution must use these programs for error checking before submitting the files.  The standards edit identifies all errors when checking against file specifications and provides some basic summaries.  The second program is the consistency check which compares the data submitted in the previous year to the current file.  This check identifies potential problems for key data elements in the file by flagging percent change differences that exceed threshold values.

 


 

AUTOMATED COLLECTION SYSTEMS

INSTITUTIONAL REORTING COMPONENT SYSTEMS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Additionally, the Commission provides a set of reporting programs with each system.  These programs are run using the edited file (i.e. has been checked and corrected through the two editing programs) that will be forwarded to the Commission.  These programs provide additional reporting by producing a set of standard Commission reports, analysis of the system’s data file, and in most cases federal facsimile reports.  Institutions should run these reports prior to sending the file to the Commission.  Their output should also be reviewed to insure data correctness and usability.  Once the above steps are completed, the file should then be sent to the Commission with the file submission form (Appendix C).  The due dates for each system are published annually in the collection package schedule.

 

            The Commission processes the file files in the same manner as the institutions.  Both an exception edit and consistency check very similar to the institution version are run at the Commission.  If errors or data consistency problems are found, the institution will be contacted for error resolution.

 

The following procedures regarding error resolution are in effect:

 

1.      Corrections should be submitted in writing, signed, and  dated.  At the Commission's discretion, telephone corrections may be accepted.  Phone conversations will be used to resolve minor problems but institutions with major problems may be required to submit written documentation.

2.      All corrections are related to an individual student record or group of records.  No aggregate number on a report may be adjusted.

3.      Cut-off date for corrections is calculated from the file due date, not from the date of submission.

4.      There will be no corrections allowed to any data files for prior reporting cycles.  The error resolution/verification period is the appropriate time for an institution to settle any inconsistencies.  A file may be resubmitted for the previous year but this re-submission must be pre-approved by Commission staff and be substantiated by significant rationale.

 

            The error resolution/verification phase ranges from four weeks to two months, depending on the Commission's correction cut-off date.  It is mandatory that the institution respond within this predetermined period.  The cut-off date is determined for each collection cycle and institutions are notified of this cut-off at the time error resolution starts.

 

 


 

 

 

 

The file submission (signed by the institution) certifies the data and authorizes the Commission to use the data for state and federal reporting, Commission needs (including research), and legislative analysis.  The Commission reserves the right to resolve any non-corrected errors on the file should the institution fail to do so.  The Commission has the responsibility of notifying the institution that these changes were made to the file.  The corrected file is then locked and no further updates can be made to the file.  Institutions may request a copy of the final file from the Commission.  It is at this point that the data is processed into appropriate database files..

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

III.  Policy Concerning the Privacy of Personally-identifiable Records

A.  Statutory Requirements

 

            The Commission regularly collects, in accordance with its legal responsibilities, information on students and employees of Maryland institutions of postsecondary education.  This information is often collected on an aggregated or summary basis, but data on individuals may be collected from student records for the purpose of constructing aggregated or summary reports on given topics.  This data on individuals is further used in evaluating and auditing of state-supported programs.

 

            The Commission is granted this collection authority under Title II of the Education Articles of the Annotated Code of Maryland.  Specifically, Section 11-105 (f) provides:

 

(f) Information; research; inspections, evaluations; assessment of and recommendations for funding. - The Commission:

(1)     May secure, compile, and evaluate information on any matter within its authority, in the format it requires, from any person, agency, or institution subject to its authority;

(2)     May engage in research, data compilation, and publication of reports concerning postsecondary education in the State;

(3)     Through its representatives, may visit at any reasonable times and make reasonable inspections of any institution of postsecondary education subject to its authority.

 

            The pertinent federal statute is the Buckley Amendment, federal statute 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, that protects the rights of students to insist that their educational records be kept confidential.  An amendment in 1979 states that:

 

(5)     Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit State and local educational officials from having access to student or other records which may be necessary in connection with the audit and evaluation of any federally or State-supported education program or in connection with the enforcement of the Federal legal requirements which relate to any such program, subject to the conditions specified in the proviso in paragraph (3).  (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g(b) (5))

 

            The proviso referred to in the above paragraph is:

 

Provided, That except when collection of personally identifiable information is specifically authorized by Federal law, any data collected by such officials shall be protected in a manner which will not permit the personal identification of students and their parents by other than those officials, and such personally identifiable data shall be destroyed when no longer needed for such audit, evaluation, and enforcement of Federal legal requirements.

 

In collecting and maintaining this data, the Commission must follow the relevant state and federal statutes to protect and keep confidential the data collected of individuals.  Title 6 Part III (Access to Public Records) of the State Government Articles of the Annotated Code of Maryland requires that an annual report be filed on the Commission's "personal records" and identifies procedures for access to public records.

 

            The provisions of the Buckley Amendment are usually interpreted to allow data on individuals to be collected from student records by a state agency for the purpose of constructing aggregated or summary reports, as long as students are still provided the same protections regarding their rights to privacy as are provided by the institutions providing the data.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS 

 B.  Commission Policy

 

            The following policy has been adopted by the Commission to guarantee the protections of individuals.

 

 

 

APPENDIX A

 

SBHE Policy Concerning the Privacy of Student Records

Maintained by the Board

 

(Adopted by SBHE, May 1977)

 

            The Board regularly collects, in accordance with its legal responsibilities, information on students enrolled in Maryland institutions of postsecondary education.  This information is often collected on an aggregated or summary basis, but data on individuals may be collected from student records for the purpose of constructing aggregated or summary reports on given topics.  With respect to these individual student records:

 

1.      Any personally-identifiable information will consist only of items required for legitimate reports and studies of the Board; specific description of the data possessed by the Board will be provided upon request.  Inquiries should be addressed to the Board's offices in Annapolis.

 

2.      Any student, or parent of a student under 18 years of age, may upon application to the Board's offices at 839 Bestgate Road, Suite 400, Annapolis, Maryland 21401, inspect, review, or seek correction of any records of that student maintained by the Board.  The Board will provide copies of such records for a fee equal to the actual reproduction or computer processing costs.

 

3.      The Board will maintain a record of disclosures of personally-identifiable information made from the education records of a student, and will permit a student, or parent of a student under 18 years of age, to inspect that record.

 

4.      If, after an application to correct records is made, and a hearing held thereon, the Board decides that the information contained in its records is not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of a student's rights, the Board will inform the student, or parent of a student under 18 years of age, of the right to place in the student's education records a statement commenting upon the information contained in the records, or setting forth any reasons for disagreement with the Board's decision.

 

5.      Copies of this policy will be published annually and will  be provided upon request to interested individuals, in accordance with (HEW) Regulation 45 C.F.R. 99.6.

 

Note:    The above policy was developed in consultation with the Attorney General's Office to fulfill requirements of U. S. Title 45, Part 99:  "Privacy Rights of Parents and Students."  This policy is based upon current regulations and may be changed to meet future legal requirements.

 

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

C.  Commission Procedures

 

In addition to the above policy, the Commission staff has established additional measures to guarantee the protection of individuals.

 

1. Personally-identifiable student and employee record information collected from institutions of higher education except those for State scholarship programs and Workforce Investment Programs will be maintained using only an encrypted number at the Commission.  This encryption insures personal records are not available for direct access from computer files.

 

2. The encryption of the identifying number will be performed at the institution.  This insures the protection of personally-identifiable data at all times after data is released by the institution.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

D.  Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

 

 

The MOU between MHEC and the Jacob France Center at the University of Baltimore provides for the JFC-UB to receive confidential student data from MHEC for specified purposes to include satisfying, or contributing to, Workforce Investment Act performance measurement and consumer report requirements, and Perkins III Core Indicator measurement requirements.  The purpose of the agreement is to provide for a secure, reliable and cost-effective linking of MHEC data with other databases held by the JFC-UB for the above stated purposes.


Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

IV.  Workforce Data System

A.  Objective

 

            The Workforce Data System has been designed by the Commission, and representatives of the Jacob France Center, University of Baltimore, and Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to collect student enrollment and completion information from the institution for all programs eligible to receive adult or dislocated worker funds through the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Title I).

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

B.  Description

 

             The Workforce Data System (WDS) is an annual data collection based on the fiscal year, July 1 through June 30. The system is scheduled for its first collection from post-secondary institutions on September 27, 2001 for the fiscal year 2001. The initial collection starts with new student enrollments from July 1, 2000 through  June 30, 2001.

 

The reporting from WDS provides feedback to Maryland post-secondary institutions on the completion and employment rates of students enrolled in programs eligible for funding through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).  WDS complies with state and federal requirements to report completion and employment performance levels of occupational training in order for the programs to remain on the Maryland State List of Occupational Training Eligible for WIA Funding.

         

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

C.  Selection Criteria

 

All current collection year WIA program/student activity is reported annually. The data collection consists of one file made up of multiple student/program records.  It is a cumulative file containing students in WIA programs whose extended training end date did not occur prior to the collection period.  All students who enrolled in any of the WIA programs offered by the institution during the current collection year are included in the file. Any student completion dates are indicated on the student/program record.  Student records whose program extended end date occurred in the previous reporting year are dropped from the current collection year file.

 

Students should NOT be included if they:

 

·        Exclusively audited classes.

·        Exclusively attended remedial courses.

·        Enrolled for purposes other than occupational training (must be validated).

           

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  D.  Collection Requirements

 

            This data collection will be due each September 1 for the prior July 1 through June 30 collection period unless otherwise directed by the Commission.  The data will be provided on floppy disc or emailed in a password protected compressed zip file to the Commission from post-secondary institutions that have programs listed on the Maryland State List of Occupational Training Eligible for Funding though WIA.

 

Each institution may decide to submit two files; one for the credit programs and another for the non-credit/continuing education programs.  The two files must account for all the institutions WIA programs and each file must be accompanied by the File Submission form (Appendix C).

 

Each time a file is submitted it must be accompanied with a completed “Institutional Certification and Specification for Automated Submission” (see Appendix C).  This form is used by the institution to certify the data submitted.  The individual signing the certification should be authorized to do so by the institution.  This individual is responsible for the review of outputs from the edits and any optional system reports to ensure that the data being submitted is correct.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

E.  System Design

 

            The system provides student information, enrollment, completion and program end dates for each student  in each  program eligible for WIA funding. The data collection will be edit checked, and processed into WIA files to match with the statewide LWIB WIA client file and forwarded to the Jacob France Center at the University of Baltimore for matching against the Unemployment Insurance Wage Records to add employment information.  The extract file is returned to MHEC for performance analysis reporting which is sent back to the institutions.  This reporting forms the basis for meeting the performance standards approved by the GWIB for programs of occupational training to remain on the State List eligible for WIA funding.

 

 

 

 

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

This is accomplished by the development of a standard reporting format and definition for this data.

 

The following is the format for data required in the file for each student/program:

Workforce Data System (WDS) Record Description

 

Data Element

Description

Length

Posi-tion

Data Dict

Reference

Page

Collection Year

Fiscal Year of Collection e.g. 2001

4

1-4

DD1

Collection Period

Collection Type

Annual = 9

Test=8

Minimum Standards = 7

1

5

DD2

Unique WIA Program Identification

Program Identification number assigned by MHEC for each WIA program.

16

6-21

DD77

Student Social Security Number

Nine digit Social Security Number (If unknown use student ID or 000000000)

9

22-30

DD5

Identification Number Type

Use blank to indicate actual SSN.

Use “2” for any other student identifier.

1

31

DD6

Initial Student Enrollment Status

Code to indicate if student is:

0  =  Continuing Education/Non-Credit 

1  =  Full-Time  (12 or more credit hours)                                         

2  =  Part-Time (less than 12 credit hours)                                         

1

32

DD78

Enrollment Date

Student Enrollment Date as MMDDYYYY

8

33-40

DD79

Actual Successful Completion Date

If student successfully completes training enter the date as MMDDYYYY.  Leave blank if student does not complete program.

8

41-48

DD80

Scheduled Training End Date

Date that training for a student with above status is scheduled to end as MMDDYYYY

8

49-56

 

DD81

Extended Training End date

Date as MMDDYYYY that is 1.5 times the difference between scheduled Training End Date and Enrollment Date added to Enrollment Date

8

57-64

DD82

 

 

Below is an explanation of how the elements affect the performance data collection.  There are relationships between data elements in the WDS file that indicate data acceptability and meaning.  The editing process uses the normal scheduled length of each program as well as the Initial Student Enrollment Status to perform edit checks on the following data items.

 

·        Initial Enrollment Status (Non-Credit/ Continuing Education, Full-time, or Part-time) is used as a factor to calculate the Scheduled Training End Date and Extended Training End Date.  For WIA purposes, students are always reported according to their Initial Enrollment Status.

 

·        The Student Completion date is used to track completion percentages and employment information.  If the student has not completed it is left blank.

 

·        The Scheduled Training End Date is the date at which the training ends.

It indicates the normal length of time that is needed for the student  to complete the training.   It must be equal to or less than the reported normal scheduled length for the program for full-time students and non-credit/continuing education students.  For part-time students the reported normal scheduled length is multiplied by two.

 

·        The Extended Training End date allows the student extra time (50% of the difference between the enrollment date and the scheduled training end date) to complete the program due to leave of absence, schedule changes or other interruptions in training. It is used to gather employment information.  It determines the cohort year for each program at which time the performance standards comparison is made.  After the Extended Training End date is passed, the student record is dropped from any subsequent collection year data.

 

 

Examples

 

Examples of typical community college and four year university students are provided to indicate sample reporting records.

 

§         The student entering the community college was a part-time student enrolled in Computer Science & Technology at Allegany College of Maryland.  The student enrolled August 28, 2000.  The scheduled length of the program is 46 weeks.   The student did not complete during the reporting year July1, 2000 through June 30, 2001.

 

§         The student entering the community college was a continuing education student enrolled in Certified Nursing Assistant at Frederick Community College.  The student enrolled January 15, 2001.  The scheduled length of the program is 9 weeks.   The student completed training on March 25, 2001 during the reporting year July1, 2000 through June 30, 2001.  The student will be reported in the collection year 2001, but will be dropped from the file for the next reporting year 2002 because the Extended Training End Date occurred during the current reporting year.

 

§          The student entering the four year university was a full-time student enrolled in Certificate in Assisted Technology at Coppin State College.  The student enrolled August 21, 2000.  The scheduled length of the program is 36 weeks.   The student completed the program on May 15, 2001.

 

 

 

Data Element

Example 1

Part-Time

 

Example2

Non-Credit / Cont.Ed

 

Example3

Full-Time

 

Collection Year 2001 2001 2001
Collection Period 9 9 9
Unique WIA Program ID 0100510101000110 1700520802000102 140082602000105
Student SSN 111111111 222222222 333333333
Student SSN Type      
Initial Student Enrollment  Status 2 0 1
Enrollment Date 08282000 01152001 08212000
Actual Successful Completion Date   03252001 05152001
Scheduled Training End Date 07032002 03162001 05152001
Extended Training End Date 05222003 04182001 09142001
Report Student next collection year?    Yes No Yes

 

                                                 

The Commission provides a software distribution package to each institution for this system.  The package consists of two components, processing and reporting (discussed in next section).  They are contained in a Microsoft ACCESS 2000 database.  For ACCESS 97 database contact Information  Systems at MHEC.

 

EXTRACTION MODULE

 

The extraction module is the only program that must be written by the institution to access its data environment, do code conversions, and produce the WDS standard format file.

 

            The following elements need to be extracted from the institution data:

 

·        Institution Program ID

·        Student SSN

·        Initial Enrollment Status

·        Student Enrollment Date

·        Student Completion Date if student completed.

           

            The above elements can be used to calculate and match to elements provided in the ACCESS database tblUnique table (also provided in a MSExcel spreadsheet) to derive the remaining elements below:

 

 

 

 

IMPORT TEXT FILE INTO ACCESS MODULE

 

The import module imports a non-delimited ASCII text file in the WDS file format into the ACCESS database for edit checking.  The import module asks the user for the

path and filename.

 

STANDARDS EDIT

 

The basic edit of the institution  produced  file compared to the WIA unique institution table  elements and standardized format are performed by this module.  A report for each student record in error is produced.

 

CONSISTENCY CHECK

 

For the first year the consistency check will be a report of current year completion rates.  This report is an optional report.  In the future the current file submission is compared to the previous year’s submission.  A report comparing the two submissions for consistency is produced

 

The Standards Edit and Consistency Check are important modules that an institution must run to verify acceptable data quality.  The edit reports from these two programs should be reviewed by the appropriate institution personnel who can assess data accuracy.

 

FILE TRANSFER

 

This module exports the ACCESS table tblWDSImport to an ASCII text non-delimited file.  The file may copied to a disc and mailed, or zipped using a standard MHEC supplied password and emailed  to MHEC.

 

 

In order to meet the file submission requirements, the institution is required to run this processing component of the system to extract, edit and prepare the file for submission to the Commission.  This set of programs will provide the minimum level of data quality control required.

 

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 F.   Institutional Reports

 

            The Commission distributed software package provides several optional reporting programs. The programs provide institutions with the information on the students being submitted for two major purposes.  The reports can be used to further assure that the data being submitted is correct.  Secondly, the reports provide basic information for the institution’s own reporting needs.  These optional reports are for institution use and should not be sent to the Commission.

 

            There are two optional reports for the Workforce Data System.  These reports provide the ability of the institution to examine the performance of students enrolled in WIA programs.

 

Performance Report  Each WIA program with active enrollment is reported and completion rates calculated.

 

Student Report -  This is a complete list of the WDS data as reported for each student.  The student records are grouped by WIA program, and student enrollment status and listed in SSN order.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS 

G.  Audit

 

            The Commission does not routinely audit the WDS data submission.  The Commission staff reserves the right to audit this data upon request to the institution.  Because routine audits are not used, the institution must take extra care in the editing and review of the data.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

V.  Institution Procedures

A.  Software Installation

 

The software installation for the WDS system requires three steps to be performed by data processing personnel at the institution.  The WDS steps are:

 

1.  account setup;

2.  installation file loading;

3.  software test;

 

                       

1. Account Setup

 

            The institution should establish a single folder on its computer system for the WIA program reporting to MHEC.  Use this folder to maintain software provided by MHEC, and provide a storage area for the retention of files submitted to the Commission and to permit implementation of security measures on data files.

 

 

            2. Installation/Update File Loading

 

            The WDS ACCESS database contains the program modules, an import test file, and unique WIA institution program identification table.  Copy the database to the institution account setup folder.

 

 

            3. Software Installation

 

·        Open the ACCESS database by double-clicking on it.

·        Run the selections on the Menu.

·        There are test files contained in the database.

·        The output generated by using the furnished test files can be compared to the test samples provided.

·        If any of these comparisons show differences please call MHEC Office of Information Systems for assistance.

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

B.  Operating Procedures

           

The overall operation of the system starts with yearly extraction of the WIA program/student information to include activity from July 1 through the end of the fiscal year, June30. The extract will include students in WIA programs who started enrollment in the reporting period as well as those still enrolled from prior years WDS reporting who have not reached their extended training end dates. It is completed when the file is created and submitted to MHEC.

 

 

 

 
Step 1  Extract

 

The extract program is the only program required to be written by the institution’s programming staff.  It must include student/ program information through the end of the reporting year, June 30.  The extract program will access the institution’s program / student database to extract the information required for the WDS data file format.  The institution program identifier must be mapped to the WIA program identifier.  Once that is done the associated scheduled length of the program can be used to calculate a training end date and an extended training end date.  The extract file should be an ASCII non-delimited text file in the WDS format .

 

Step 2 Import

 

The next step is to import the institution’s WDS Extract file into the ACCESS database.  The import procedure will fill a table named tblWDSImport.  If the number of records processed does not equal the records on the file or there are import errors then the extract file should be examined for correct format compared to the WDS data layout. 

 

Step 3 Edit

 

The imported file is then used as input to the edit check program.  The program will compare the fields to the standard WDS data layout.  It also checks the calculation of the training end date and the extended training end date to verify that they are within the limits of the institution submitted normal scheduled length of training contained in tblUnique in the ACCESS database. It produces an edit report if errors are found that should be reviewed by appropriate institution personnel responsible for the data being submitted.  The edit report lists the entire record data in question broken into fields and the warning or fatal error message associated with the edit check.  These errors whould be checked for validity. A Warning means that the data is suspicious, but not necessarily incorrect.  A Fatal error means that the data must be corrected in the file.  Do not proceed past edit step until all errors have been reviewed and corrected when necessary.

 

The extracted WDS file is corrected by modifying the institution’s data base/extract program and rerunning the extract or by using the Change Data in Edit File module in the ACCESS database.  After changes are made the Run Edit Check module must be run to produce the updated Completion report.  

 

Step 4 Check

 

Once all errors have been resolved, the consistency check program can be run on the file that has passed the EDIT step.  In order to function completely, this program requires both the current and prior year's (saved by institution) WDS files.  Since for the first year there is no prior year's data, the program reports only one current year's data and cannot provide consistency checks to prior year's submission.  The consistency report must be reviewed by appropriate institution staff responsible for the data being submitted.  Any errors, whether displayed by program or found in the institution review, must be corrected and the process restarted in the same manner as the EDIT step.

 

            Upon completion of this step, the institution will have the edited WDS file ready for submission to MHEC (or to your segmental coordinator).  IT IS THIS FILE THAT SHOULD BE PERMANENTLY SAVED BY THE INSTITUTION.  It will be required for next year's consistency check (step 4), as backup to allow tape resubmission, and for the optional report programs in steps 5.  The first year of implementation this step will consist of the WDS Performance Data Statistics report only.

 

Step 5  Report

 

The WIA Program Student Data report may be run at any time.  It lists the information on each student record grouped by program and enrollment date.

 

The WDS Performance Data Statistics report shows the number of students enrolled in the reporting year and continuing from previous year, number completed and number who reached the extended end date.  Completion percentage is calculated on those students who have reached the extended end date during the reporting year.

 

Step 6  Submit

 

The final step in the system is the submission of a file containing the WDS data to MHEC.  The export file must be an ASCII text non-delimited file in the WDS format.  Two options are available for submission.  The file may be zipped (using the password option) and emailed to MHEC along with a file submission form, or it may be copied to disc and mailed with the file submission form (Appendix C).

 

If the ACCESS database is used the WDS Export file option will prepare the ASCII text file ready for zipping and emailing to MHEC.

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

                       


 

VI.  Appendices


Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix A

Data Dictionary


 

Data Dictionary Contents

                        

 

Data Type Data Element Page Reference
Identification Collection Year        DD1
Identification Collection Period DD2
Identification   Identification Number    DD5
Identification  Identification Number Type DD6
Identification  WIA Unique Program Identifier  DD77
Detail  Initial Student Enrollment Status  DD78
Detail   Enrollment Date    DD79
Detail Actual Successful Completion Date DD80
Detail Scheduled Training End Date DD81
Detail Extended Training End Date  DD82

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 


 

ELEMENT TITLE:

Collection Year

 

 

DEFINITION:         A collection cycle year (e.g. 1992) for data collected.  The collection cycle year is the calendar year used to identify the data collection and is based on annual collection schedule.

 

 

FORMAT:              numeric - 4 digits

 

 

CODES:

 

 

COMMENTS:         Use the collection cycle year.

 For example, in the 1992 collection cycle data is collected

                             EIS - snapshot of 1992 fall semester

                             TSS - annual collection for 91‑92 academic yr.

                             DIS - annual collection for 91‑92 academic yr.

                             HGS - annual collection for 91‑92 academic yr.

                   For example in the 2001 collection year:

     WDS - annual collection for 2001 fiscal yr.(July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001)

                   Some systems may use only 2 digit year, check system manual.

 

 

RELATED TO:       Collection Period

 

GLOSSARY:

 

 

SYSTEMS:             TSS,HGS,EIS,DIS,EDS,AGGR,WDS

 

 

 

SYSNAME:            COLYR

 

 

DOCUMENTED:     1/10/77 Revised: 8/20/2001

 

-DD1-

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ELEMENT TITLE:

Collection Period

 

 

DEFINITION:         The period of collection of the data to distinguish different types and time periods.

 

 

FORMAT:              numeric - 1 digit

 

 

CODES:                 1 = fall snapshot

                             9 = annual (academic year or fiscal year depending on system)

 

 

COMMENTS:         Fall snapshot freeze date is determined by the institution.  This date must be after the end of the institution’s official drop-add period for fall semester.

 

                             Annual period is for academic year which includes summer, fall and spring enrollment cycle.

 

                             EIS uses a 2 digit number “01”.

 

 

GLOSSARY:          academic year

 

 

 

RELATED TO:

 

 

SYSTEMS:             TSS,HGS,EIS,WDS

 

 

SYSNAME:            COLPD

 

 

DOCUMENTED:     1/10/77 Revised: 8/20/2001

 

 

-DD2-

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS 

 

ELEMENT TITLE:

Identification Number

 

 

DEFINITION:         An encrypted version of the student’s (or employee’s) social security number using the MHEC encryption technique as provided by the institution.  When actual SSN is not known, an encrypted version of an institution assigned 9-digit identification will be present.

 

FORMAT:              alphanumeric - 9 characters

 

 

CODES:                 encrypted version is 7 alpha-numeric characters with 2 blanks at end of field

                             Unencrypted is 9 digit numeric.

 

 

COMMENTS:         If assigned number is used, it should always remain unique for student at assigning institution.  The Identification Number Type must be set to “2” in this case.

 

                             EDS allows use of employee numbers that are not SSNs as long as the number remains constant for the employee every year.

 

                             Some follow-up studies may use a student number that is not SSN based (bachelor’s survey at independents).

 

                             WDS requires unencrypted  SSNs.

 

RELATED TO:       Identification Number Type

 

GLOSSARY:

 

SYSTEMS:             EIS,TSS,HGS,EDS,DIS,RTN,WDS

 

 

SYSNAME:            IDN,  S_SSN

 

 

DOCUMENTED:     1/10/77 Revised: 8/20/01.

 

-DD5-

 

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

ELEMENT TITLE:

Identification Number Type

 

 

DEFINITION:         An indicator that determines whether the identification number is based upon a valid social security number or an institution assigned substitute number in lieu of SSN.

 

 

FORMAT:              numeric - 1 digit - blank valid

 

 

 

CODES:                 blank = valid social security number

                             2 = assigned identification number

 

 

 

COMMENTS:         Present in EIS and DIS but with additional code of 1 and 3 which also mean the same as blank.

 

 

 

RELATED TO:       Identification Number

 

 

GLOSSARY:

 

 

SYSTEMS:             TSS,HGS,EIS,DIS,WDS

 

 

 

SYSNAME:            IDT

                             WIA – S_SSN_TYPE

 

 

DOCUMENTED:     1/10/77 Revised: 8/20/01

 

 

-DD6-

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

ELEMENT TITLE:

WIA Unique Program Identifier

 

 

DEFINITION:         A unique WIA program identification code is assigned by the Maryland Higher Education Commission to track each program on the Maryland State List of Occupational Training eligible for funding through the Workforce Investment Act.

 

 

FORMAT:              alphanumeric - 16 digits

 

 

CODES:                 The unique code is assigned at the time that the program is entered on the Maryland State List of Occupational Training eligible for funding through the Workforce Investment Act.                   

 

COMMENTS:         The code is a structured code consisting of four elements.

 

1.  Institution Code = The right four digits of the MHEC assigned Standard Institution Code.

2.  MHEC Academic Program Code = The first six digits of the Program Taxonomy as used by MHEC for academic programs.

3.  Program Counter   =  A four digit program suffix assigned by MHEC to create unique programs within an institution.

4.  Program Level   = The two digit Degree Sought used by MHEC.            

 

RELATED TO:       SIC, Degree Sought, Program Taxonomy

 

 

GLOSSARY:

 

 

SYSTEMS:             WDS

 

 

SYSNAME:            WIAPID, S_UNIQUE_ID

 

 

DOCUMENTED:     8/20/01

 

-DD77-

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

ELEMENT TITLE:

Initial Student Enrollment Status

 

 

DEFINITION:         A code to identify the student as full-time, part-time or non-credit/continuing education at his/her initial enrollment in the program.

 

 

FORMAT:              alphanumeric - 1 digit

 

 

 

CODES:

0 = Enrolled in a non-credit/ continuing education program.

                             1 = Enrolled full-time in a credit program.

                             2 = Enrolled part time in a credit program.

 

 

COMMENTS:

 

 

 

RELATED TO:      Fall Attendance, Spring Attendance

 

 

 

GLOSSARY:                    Full-time, Part-time.

 

 

SYSTEMS:             WDS

 

 

SYSNAME:            IATTEND, S_ENROLL_STATUS

 

 

DOCUMENTED:     8/20/01

 

 

-DD78-

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

ELEMENT TITLE:

                 Enrollment Date

 

 

DEFINITION:         The date that the student enrolled in the first course of the program of study.

 

 

FORMAT:              alphanumeric - 8 digits, blank not valid

                                     

 

CODES:                           MM     =    2 digit month  = 01-12

                                      DD      =    2 digit day     =  01-31

                                      YYYY =    4 digit year     = 2000 - 2010

 

.

COMMENTS:         The Enrollment Date is:

·        For most training, the date when 20% of the total length of the first course has elapsed.

·        For training measured in clock hours, or non-credit/continuing education course hours, and the first course exceeds 100 hours in length, enrollments will be counted when 20% of the total length of the first course has elapsed, or a maximum of 25 clock hours or continuing education course hours have elapsed or one week of training has elapsed, whichever is less.

 

 

RELATED TO:         Scheduled Training End Date, Extended Training End Date

 

 

GLOSSARY:                   

 

 

SYSTEMS:             WDS

 

 

SYSNAME:            ENRDATE, D_ENROLL

 

 

DOCUMENTED:     8/20/01

 

-DD79-

 

 

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS 

 

ELEMENT TITLE: 

                 Actual Successful Completion Date

 

 

DEFINITION:         The date that the student successfully completed the program of study.

 

FORMAT:              alphanumeric - 8 digits, blank valid

                                     

 

CODES:                 MM     =    2 digit month  = 01-12

                             DD      =    2 digit day     =  01-31

                             YYYY =    4 digit year     = 2000 - 2010

                             Blank   =    Student has not completed program.

.                                                        

 

COMMENTS:            Successful completion for:

·        Training that leads to a certificate or degree - A student must meet the established requirements to graduate for the program and be eligible to be awarded a certificate or degree.

 

·        For training that does NOT lead to a certificate or degree: A student must meet the requirements to be eligible to receive a “Letter of Recognition” or a “Continuing Education Unit”.  This will require the institution to monitor attendance and ensure that the student attends at least 80% of the training; and assess the student’s competency.

 

 

RELATED TO:    

 

 

GLOSSARY:                   

 

 

SYSTEMS:             WDS

 

SYSNAME:            CDATE, D_COMPLETE

 

DOCUMENTED:     8/20/01

 

-DD80-

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

ELEMENT TITLE:

                 Scheduled Training End Date

 

 

DEFINITION:         The date that the program of study is scheduled to end.

 

 

FORMAT:              alphanumeric - 8 digits, blank not valid

                                     

 

CODES:                 MM     =    2 digit month  = 01-12

                             DD      =    2 digit day     =  01-31

                             YYYY =    4 digit year     = 2000 - 2010

 

.

 

 

COMMENTS:         If the initial student enrollment status is part-time the Scheduled Training End Date may allow the student twice as much time to finish the program as that time allowed for the full-time student. Non-Credit/Continuing Education students are considered the same time as full-time students.

 

 

RELATED TO:        Initial Student Enrollment Status, Enrollment Date

 

 

 

GLOSSARY:                   

 

 

SYSTEMS:             WDS

 

 

 

SYSNAME:            SENDATE, D_END

 

 

DOCUMENTED:      8/20/01

 

-DD81-

 

 

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ELEMENT TITLE:

                            

                 Extended Training End Date

 

 

DEFINITION:         The student’s exit date from the WIA program cohort.  It allows the student extra time to complete the program and to become employed.  The date is calculated by adding 150% of the difference between the Scheduled Training End Date and the Enrollment Date to the Enrollment Date.

 

 

FORMAT:              alphanumeric - 8 digits, blank not valid

                                     

 

CODES:                 MM     =    2 digit month  = 01-12

                             DD      =    2 digit day     =  01-31

                             YYYY =    4 digit year     = 2000 - 2010

 

.

 

COMMENTS:         The Extended Training End Date allows the student extra time to complete the program.  It determines the cohort year for performance standards comparison.  A student /program record must be carried in the WDS file for each reporting year up to and including this date.

 

  

 

RELATED TO:        Enrollment Date, Scheduled Training End Date

 

 

GLOSSARY:                   

 

SYSTEMS:             WDS

 

SYSNAME:                 EENDDATE, D_EXTEND_END

 

 

DOCUMENTED:     8/20/01

-DD82-

 

 Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Appendix B

Glossary

 


USE W/DOC H:\MANUALS\HGSDOC.HPW

\jlb\manuals\DATADICT.WP5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION

 

GLOSSARY

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           August, 2001

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                            Office of Information Systems

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

                         MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION

                                                      GLOSSARY

 

ACADEMIC YEAR - The period of time generally extending from June to May; usually equated to a sequence of three semesters     (summer, fall, spring).

 

AFRICAN AMERICAN - A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa (except those of Hispanic origin).

 

ALL OTHER  - A person from races not defined as ASIAN, BLACK, INDIAN, HISPANIC, FOREIGN, UNKNOWN OR WHITE.

 

AREA OF CONCENTRATION - A sequential arrangement of courses within a program which at the undergraduate level exceeds 24  semester credit hours, at the masters level exceeds 12 semester hours, and exceeds 18 semester hours at the doctoral level.

 

ASIAN - Asian or Pacific Islander.  A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands.  This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, Samoa, India and Vietnam.

 

ASSOCIATE - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of not less than 60 or more than 70 semester hours, or equivalent hours of college credit representing a planned sequence of learning experiences.

 

BACHELOR - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of not  less than 120 semester hours, or equivalent hours of college credit representing a planned sequence of learning experience.

 

BLACK - see AFRICAN AMERICAN

 

BRANCH CAMPUS - A permanent instructional unit of a degree-granting institution approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission or of a chartered institution, located at a site other than the principal location of the approved or chartered institution, which offers on a continuing basis all the instruction required for a baccalaureate degree.

 

CERTIFICATE OF ADVANCED STUDY - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of at least 30 semester hours of graduate study or  the equivalent beyond the master's degree.

 

CREDIT - Recognition of attendance or performance in an instructional activity (course or program) that can be applied by a recipient towards the requirements for a formal award.

 

CREDIT COURSE - A course that, if successfully completed, can be applied toward the number of courses required for achieving a formal award.

 

Gi

CREDIT HOURS - A unit of measure applied toward the total number of hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree, certificate, or other formal award, which represents:

a)      a minimum of 15 hours (50 minutes each) of actual class time;

b)      a minimum of 30 hours (50 minutes each) of supervised laboratory or studio time;

c)      a minimum of 45 hours (50 minutes each) of instructional situations such as practica, internships, and cooperative educational placements;

d)      instruction delivered by instructional television (ITV) or other electronic media based on the equivalent outcomes in student learning of (a) above, and may include a combination of telelessons, classroom instruction, student consultation with instructors, and readings.

 

DEGREE - See FORMAL AWARD

 

DEGREE SEEKING - Students enrolled in courses for credit who are recognized by the institution as seeking a degree or other formal award.

 

DOCTORATE - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of the requirements of a program of studies representing a planned sequence of learning experiences consisting of at least 2 years of study beyond the master's level, including completion of a thesis or dissertation.

 

FIRST-PROFESSIONAL - An award that requires completion of a program that meets all of the following criteria:

          (1) completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession; (2) at least two years of college work before entrance to the program; and (3) a total of at least six academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including prior required college work plus the length of the professional program itself.  First-Professional degrees may be awarded in the following ten fields:

 

Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)

Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.)

Law (L.L.B., J.D.)

Medicine (M.D.)

Optometry (O.D.)

Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)

Pharmacy (Pharm. D.)

Podiatry (POD.D or D.P.)

Theology (M. Div.)

Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)

 

FIRST PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of a program of study consisting of the number of courses required by the appropriate national professional association.

 

FIRST-TIME FIRST-PROFESSIONAL - A student enrolled for the first time in the first-professional program.  Includes first-professional students enrolled in the fall term who entered the program for the first time in the preceding summer.

 

 

FIRST-TIME FRESHMEN - An entering freshman attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level.  Include students enrolled in the Fall term who attended college for the first time in the preceding summer.  Also includes students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).  High school students who are concurrently enrolled are not considered first-time.

 

FIRST-TIME GRADUATE - A student enrolled at the graduate level for the first time.  Includes graduate students enrolled in the fall term who entered graduate school for the first time in the preceding summer.

 

FIRST-TIME UNDERGRADUATE - A student attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level.  Include students enrolled in the Fall term who attended college for the first time in the preceding summer.  Also includes students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).  High school students who are concurrently enrolled are not considered first-time.

 

FIRST-YEAR - A student who has completed less than the equivalent of one full year of undergraduate work, that is, less than 30 semester hours in a 120 hour program.

 

FOREIGN - Non-resident alien.  A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely.

 

FORMAL AWARD - An award conferred by a college, university or other postsecondary education institution as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies.

 

FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY - A public or private institution of postsecondary education which: (a) awards a baccalaureate level degree in two or more instructional programs, and may award one or more of the following degrees at the graduate level: (i) Masters, (ii) Doctorate or (iii) First professional and (b) offers appropriate upper divisional courses in the liberal arts and sciences.

 

FOURTH YEAR AND BEYOND - A student who has completed the equivalent of three years of full-time undergraduate work, that is, at least 90 semester hours in a 120 hour program.

 

FRESHMAN - See FIRST-YEAR

 

FULL-TIME - A student determined by the institution as having a normal academic load in terms of course work or other activity.  Normally, an undergraduate student will be enrolled for twelve or more semester credits (or quarter hours).  A graduate student will be enrolled for nine or more semester credits (or quarter hours).  A first-professional student is defined by the institution.

 

GRADUATE - A program of study beyond the bachelor's degree other than FIRST-PROFESSIONAL and typically requiring a bachelor's degree for entrance.

 

GRADUATE STUDENT - A student enrolled in a graduate degree program.  Includes students taking graduate course work whether degree seeking or non-degree seeking.

 

HISPANIC  - A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

 

INDIAN - see NATIVE AMERICAN

 

INSTITUTION OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION - An institution which offers an educational program within the State for persons 16 years old or older who have graduated from or left elementary or secondary school.

 

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM - See PROGRAM

 

JUNIOR - See THIRD-YEAR

 

LOWER DIVISION - Credit courses taken at the first-year (freshman) or second-year (junior) levels.

 

LOWER DIVISION CERTIFICATE - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of the requirements of a program of studies representing a planned sequence of learning experiences which consist of at least 12 semester hours of college-level work at the freshman or sophomore levels, or both.

 

MASTERS - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of the requirements of a program of studies representing a planned sequence of learning experiences which consist of at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent of graduate-level courses.

 

NATIVE AMERICAN - American Indian or Alaskan native.  A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America, and who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.

 

NON-CREDIT/CONTINUING EDUCATION – A course for which academic credit is not awarded.

 

NON-DEGREE SEEKING - Students enrolled in courses for credit who are recognized by the institution as having no intent of seeking a degree or who have not made a declaration of degree intention.

 

OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAM - A program that contains (a) more than 1/3 of the required coursework in a major field of study leading to a certificate beyond the bachelor's level or leading to any undergraduate or graduate degree offered by an approved or chartered institution at a location other than the principal location of the institution during any 12-month period or (b) coursework offered at a location other than the principal location of an approved or chartered institution which is advertised as leading to a degree or to a certificate beyond the bachelor's level at that location.

 

PART-TIME - A student who is taking less than the normal academic load for a full-time student.

 

POST-BACCALAUREATE CERTIFICATE - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of the requirements of a program consisting of at least 12 semester credit hours of courses at the graduate or upper divisional level, the majority of which are at the master's level.

 

PRIVATE CAREER SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR CERTIFICATE - A formal award granted by a private career school for satisfactory completion of a program of study consisting of the number of courses required by the school and approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

 

PROGRAM - A course of study requiring the completion of a specified number of course credits from among a prescribed group of courses, which leads to a formal award.

 

QUARTER HOUR - One quarter hour of credit is awarded for instruction equivalent to 2/3 of the contract hours required for 1 semester hour of credit, when supervision is assured and learning is documented.

 

REMEDIATION PROGRAM - Instructional activities or services designed for students deficient in the general competencies necessary for college-level work, especially in reading, writing, and mathematics.  Typically, these are not credit courses.

 

SECOND-YEAR - A student who has completed the equivalent of one full year of full-time undergraduate work, that is at least 30 semester hours but less than 60 semester hours in a 120 hour program.

 

SEMESTER HOUR - One semester hour of credit is awarded for:

 

a)      A minimum of 15 hours (50 minutes each) of actual class time, exclusive of registration, study days, and holidays;

b)      A minimum of 30 hours (50 minutes each) of supervised laboratory or studio time, exclusive of registration, study days, and holidays;

c)      A minimum of 45 hours (50 minutes each) of instructional situations such as practica, internships, and cooperative education placements, when supervision is assured and learning is documented;

d)      Instruction delivered by instructional television (ITV) or other electronic media based on the equivalent outcomes in student learning of (a) above, and may include a combination of telelessons, classroom instruction, student consultation with instructors, and readings, when supervision is assured and learning is documented.

 

SENIOR - See FOURTH-YEAR AND BEYOND

 

SOPHOMORE - See SECOND-YEAR

 

THIRD-YEAR - A student who has completed the equivalent of two years of full-time undergraduate work, that is, at least 60 semester hours but less than 90 semester hours in a 120 hour program.

 

TRANSFER - A new student entering the reporting institution but known to have previously attended a postsecondary institution at the same level of study (undergraduate, graduate or first-professional).

 

UNCLASSIFIED - A undergraduate student taking courses creditable toward a degree or other formal award who cannot be classified by academic level.  For example, this could include transfer students whose earned credits have not been determined at the time of reporting or students enrolled in a program who already hold an equivalent or higher degree.  High school students concurrently enrolled before graduation should also be included.

 

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT - A student enrolled in a bachelor's degree program or in a program below the baccalaureate.  Includes students taking course work below a bachelor's degree whether degree seeking or non-degree seeking.

 

UNKNOWN   -   A person whose race is unknown.

 

UPPER DIVISION - Credit courses taken at the third-year (junior) or fourth-year and beyond (senior) levels.

 

UPPER DIVISION CERTIFICATE - A degree awarded for satisfactory completion of the requirements of a program of studies representing a planned sequence of learning experiences which consist of at least 12 semester hours of college-level work at the third-year or fourth-year and beyond levels, or both.

 

WHITE - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East (except those of Hispanic origin).

 

 

 

 

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Appendix C

File Submission Form


 

MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION

 

INSTITUTIONAL CERTIFICATION AND SPECIFICATION FORM FOR AUTOMATED SUBMISSION

 

INSTRUCTIONS - The institution should complete this form and forward to either the Commission or your segmental coordinator.  It is important that all information be completed and this form accompany the file to insure accurate transfer of data.

 

SUBMISSION DATE     /    /      FOR INSTITUTION                                                               

                                                                                                              

                                                                                                             

 

                                                                                                         CERTIFICATION

 

Attached is the file submission for the system                          Name                                                     

indicated below in the standard MHEC record

format and prepared in accordance with MHEC                       Title                                                    

instructions and data definitions.

                                                                                                Phone                                                    

 

I certify that the information submitted on

this file is correct and true to the best of

my knowledge                                                                          Signature                                                

 

                                                                        System Submitted (check only one and supply all information)

 

                                                                                                                Freeze Date1            Number of Records on File

 

    Enrollment Information System (EIS)                                                    /   /                                  students

 

    Degree Information System (DIS)                                                        N/A                                    students

 

    Employee Data System (EDS)                                                                 /   /                                  employees

 

    High School Graduate System (HGS)                                                    N/A                                    students

 

    Transfer Student System (TSS)                                                             N/A                                    students

 

    Workforce Data System (WDS)                                                           N/A                                    students

    (for community colleges: credit     and/or non-credit      )

 

1Freeze Date is the "as of" for the data on file

                                                                                                            

                                                                                                             

 

                                                                                                     FILE SPECIFICATION

 

Type of Software and computer used:                                                                          

 

Circle appropriate specifications for file transfer:

 

Options

Character Format

File Format

File Transmittal

Preferred

ASCII

Text*

Email Attachment (should be zipped and passworded)

Diskette

Other

 

Access (WDS only)

Excel (WDS only)

 

*text is fixed format, non-delimited, MS-DOS file

 

 

Circle appropriate specifications for open reel tape, if using:

 

Options

Label on Tape

Character Format

Tape Format

Density

Record Size (characters)

Block Size (physical length in characters)

Preferred

 

Unlabeled

ASCII

9-track

6250 BPI

100

100

Other Options

ANSI

IBM

EBCDIC

 

1600 BPI

Other,Specify

1000, 4000

Other, Specify

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

                                                                           INSTRUCTIONS

 

            In order to allow institutions flexibility to submit files in different formats, the use of this form allows for an accurate and complete transfer of information to the Commission.  The use of this form eliminates missing or incorrect specifications that cause both confusion and extra work.  It also reduces the possibility of loss of data or misinterpretation.

 

            A cover letter in lieu of this certification form can be used as an alternative.  Please be sure too include all of the information contained on this form.

 

                                    SPECIAL PUBLIC SEGMENT COORDINATOR INSTRUCTIONS

 

The UM can submit certifications by either the institutions or the segment. The freeze date for enrollment and employee submissions (day when snapshot of students or employees was taken to create the file) must be included for each institution.

 

Each institution (or organizational) reporting unit must be in a separate physical file.  In the past, we have had problems in trying to separate the institution from one large file due to bad FICE coding or file specifications.

 

 

 

 

MHEC90CS (revised 8/01)

Back to TABLE OF CONTENTS

Return to MHEC HomePage