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2003 Compilation of Master Plan Policies
Chapter 1 Roles and Responsibilities
VIII. INFORMATION SYSTEMS
� The Illinois Board of Higher Education has the responsibility to “design and establish a State university and college information system to provide comprehensive, meaningful, and timely information pertinent to the formulation of decisions and recommendations by the Board.” The data and analyses are used in decision making by institutions as well as by the Board.
Data collected and maintained by the Board, which has a statutory responsibility to establish a system of comprehensive, meaningful, and timely information about higher education, fall into three broad categories:
• demographic information about enrolled students and degree recipients
• faculty and staff information
• characteristics of individual colleges and universities.
The Board collects data through surveys of public and independent institutions; the Illinois Community College Board coordinates collection of information from and about public community colleges and supplies the appropriate data to the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
WEB-BASED CONSUMER INFORMATION SYSTEM
The Board of Higher Education hereby endorses the plan to begin construction of an Internet-based Consumer Information System by proceeding to implement Phase One activities described in this item. The staff will develop a more detailed plan for implementation of Phases Two through Five of the above-referenced plan, including possible avenues for seeking funding and locating or developing necessary resources.
Phase One will involve the development of an IBHE web site designed to orient students to the higher education system by providing useful, general information to assist consumers in evaluating the legitimacy of educational opportunities advertised over the Internet. These initial-phase efforts are designed primarily to assist students who have a need to assess the validity of Internet-based degree programs originating from outside the state. Information presented will be limited to a text-based format. Such general information will include the following data elements:
• What does state approval mean and what are its limitations?
• What is the difference between state approval and accreditation?
• What is the difference between regional and national accreditation?
• How does institutional accreditation differ from specialized program accreditation?
• When is specialized accreditation essential?
• Who accredits accrediting bodies?
• How can consumers check out an institution’s accreditation claims? (July 1998)
The Board of Higher Education shall establish a Web-based Consumer Information System that promotes access as well as consumer protection. The system will provide information about institutional programs and services. It will help students with special needs, such as students with disabilities, adult students, students living in underserved areas, minority
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