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In 2004 and 2005, the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education (Pell Institute), sponsored by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), published two editions of "Indicators of Opportunity in Higher Education." In 2015, the commitment to documenting trends in higher education equity was renewed by publishing an expanded annual trend report and initiating the Search for Solutions Shared Dialogues. The "Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2019 Historical Trend Report" directly follows on these earlier efforts. These reports draw from multiple sources of existing data to provide, in one place, indicators that describe trends in equity in postsecondary enrollment, choice, and degree attainment, as well as indicators of college affordability. The purposes of this equity indicators project are to: (1) Report the status of higher education equity in the United States and identify changes over time in measures of equity; (2) Identify policies and practices that promote and hinder progress; and (3) Illustrate the need for increased support of policies, programs, and practices that not only improve overall attainment in higher education but also create greater equity in higher education opportunity and outcomes. [For "Indicators of Opportunity in Higher Education. Fall 2004 Status Report," see ED490855. For "Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2018 Historical Trend Report," see ED583543.]

The 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04), conducted by RTI International (RTI) and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), is a nationally representative study that collects data regarding the characteristics, workload, and career paths of full- and part-time postsecondary faculty and instructional staff at public and private not-for-profit 2- and 4-year institutions in the United States. This report describes the methodology and findings of the NSOPF:04 field test that took place during the 2002-03 academic year. The NSOPF:04 field test was used to plan, implement, and evaluate methodological procedures, instruments, and systems proposed for use in the full-scale study scheduled for the 2003-04 academic year. The field test was particularly important in this cycle of NSOPF, because of several changes from prior NSOPF data collections. These included: (1) the combination of NSOPF and NPSAS into NSoFaS:04, which had important implications for the NSOPF:04 institution sample design and institution contacting procedures; (2) eliminating the paper self-administered survey mode of response; (3) using integrated web/computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) instruments; (4) shortening the faculty questionnaire; and (5) implementing measures to shorten the data collection period, such as early institution contacting and use of incentives for early response. This field test methodology report is designed to summarize the findings with regard to NSOPF for each of these changes. Appended are: (1) Technical Review Pane; (2) Facsimile Instruments; (3) Item Crosswalks; (4) Contacting Materials; (5) Training Materials; (6) CIP Code Mapping; and (7) TRP Meeting Summary. (Contains 48 tables and 6 figures.)

This report describes the methodology and findings of the NSOPF:04 field test that took place during the 2002?03 academic year. The NSOPF:04 field test was used to plan, implement, and evaluate methodological procedures, instruments, and systems proposed for use in the full-scale study scheduled for the 2003-04 academic year. The field test was particularly important in this cycle of NSOPF, because of several changes from prior NSOPF data collections. These included: (1) the combination of NSOPF and NPSAS into NSoFaS:04, which had important implications for the NSOPF:04 institution sample design and institution contacting procedures; (2) eliminating the paper self-administered survey mode of response; (3) using integrated web/computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) instruments; (4) shortening the faculty questionnaire; and (5) implementing measures to shorten the data collection period, such as early institution contacting and use of incentives for early response. This field test methodology report is designed to summarize the findings with regard to NSOPF for each of these changes. The methodology and findings of the NPSAS:04 field test are provided in a separate report. Appended are: (1) Technical Review Panel; (2) Facsimile Instruments; (3) Item Crosswalks; (4) Contacting Materials; (5) Training Materials; (6) CIP Code Mapping; and (7) TRP Meeting Summary.