Investigating the gap between existing and desirable institutional research using distance analysis technique (Case study of Noushirvani Babol University of Technology)

The present study was conducted with the aim of clarifying the existing and desirable situation of similar functions of institutional research in Babol Noshirvani University of Technology. The Survey population consisted of 70 experts of Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, 60 of whom were selected by stratified random sampling.The instrument used in this study was the standard questionnaire for the evaluation of institutional research functions that contained 37 pairs of corresponding questions, which were designed based on the five-point Likert scale. To analyze the data using Wilcoxon's tests, Spearman correlation using SPSS21 software was used. The findings showed that there is a gap in all aspects of institutional research. In the dimensions, from the highest to the lowest gap in this analysis are for policies, information authority, accountability, evaluation, research and decision making, communication and intermediate, the greatest gap is related to the assessment of the degree and success rate of graduates in engagement and entrepreneurship. From the evaluation point and the lowest gap is related to the relationship between universities and international institutions from communication point. There is a positive correlation between the between all of gaps. The status quo for institutional research is not meeting expectations from experts in Babol Noushirvani University of Technology. Given the effects and interactions of the gaps on each other, the adoption of a multifaceted decision-making approach to manage and reduce existing distances is inevitable.In this regard, the establishment of an institutional research office can be a good way to this achieve goals.