Bringing together a diverse set of global contributors, this volume covers contemporary thinking on the practices of academic planning and its impact on key issues such as access, institutional accountability, quality assurance, educational policy priorities, and the development of higher education data systems.

Karen L. Webber is Associate Professor in the Institute of Higher Education at The University of Georgia, USA.

Angel J. Calderon is the Principal Advisor of Planning and Research at RMIT University, Australia.

Foreword - Randy L Swing

Section I: Institutional Research in Context

1. Institutional Research, Planning and Decision Support in Higher Education Today - Angel Calderon & Karen L. Webber
2. Institutional and Educational Research in Higher Education: Common Origins, Diverging Practices- Victor M. H. Borden & Karen L. Webber
3. Transnational IR Collaborations - Charles Mathies

Section II: National and Regional Context of Institutional Research

4. Institutional Research and Planning in Higher Education in the United States and Canada - Gerald W. McLaughlin, Richard D. Howard, and Sandra Bramblett
5. Institutional Research in Europe: A View from the European Association for Institutional Research - Jeroen Huisman, Peter Hoekstra, and Mantz Yorke
6. Decision Support Issues in Central and Eastern Europe - Manja Klemencic, Ninoslav Scukanec, and Janja Komljenovic
7. Institutional Research in the UK and Ireland - Steve Woodfield
8. Strategic Planning and Institutional Research: The Case of Australia - Marian Mahat and Hamish Coates
9. Institutional Research in South Africa in the Service of Strategic and Academic Decision Support - Jan Botha
10. Institutional Research in Latin America - Mauricio Saavedra, María Pita-Carranza, and Pablo Opazo
11. Institutional Research in Asia - Jang Wan Ko
12. Institutional Research and Planning in the Middle East - Diane Nauffal

Section III: Themes of Institutional Research Practice

13. Business Intelligence as a Data -based Decision Support System and its Roles in Support of Institutional Research and Planning - Henry Y. Zheng
14. Strategic Planning in a Global University: Big Challenges and Practical Responses - Julie Wells
15. In Light of Globalization, Massification, and Marketization: Some Considerations on the Uses of Data in Higher Education - Angel Calderon
16. Towards a Knowledge Footprint Framework: Initial Baby Steps - Anand Kulkarni, Angel Calderon, & Amber Douglas
17. The Evolution of Institutional Research: Maturity Models of Institutional Research and Decision Support and Possible Directions for the Future - John Taylor
18. Eyes to the Future: Challenges Ahead for Institutional Research and Planning - Karen L Webber