Colleges and universities have important decisions to make in order to remain competitive in an ever-changing environment. They need to balance what is best for students with the other elements that will help them be successful. This includes making smart financial decisions, making sure they are remaining environmentally friendly, and also meeting external requirements such as accreditation compliance.
In order to ensure they are doing all they can to remain viable, schools need to use analytics. Simply having the right analytics solution isn’t enough, though. They need to use the tools they have to make the best decisions for all aspects of the school. Here are some of the earmarks of a successful institution, and how data can help measure success.
How is higher ed using analytics?
The issue for colleges and universities isn’t the amount of data – it’s how they use it. Institutions of higher education are constantly collecting data. The important part is figuring out which data points can help them make better decisions in a few key areas:
- Student academic success: Colleges are just scratching the surface of the proper ways to use artificial intelligence (AI). One area in which they are finding some success is using AI for early intervention, identifying students who might be falling behind in a class and allowing for counselors to step in and offer help before a student reaches out. In some cases, AI can also help design personal learning plans for these students to ensure the best possible support.
- Student retention: Academic success is just one factor that plays into whether a student is happy at school. The most successful colleges are the ones who are able to retain students, and they do so by collecting a variety of information. By paying attention to what makes students feel comfortable, whether that is health facilities, meal offerings, or extra-curricular activities, colleges increase the chances students will want to stay, which in turn makes them an attractive option for prospective students.
- Facilities and finance: There are many contributing factors to a college’s financial health. From buildings spread throughout campus to the maintenance of the grounds to instructor salaries, it is important to have a system set up that can manage the information coming from the many different sources throughout a college campus.
The decisions colleges make surrounding all of these issues can only be as good as the data informing those decisions. It is important to bring together stakeholders from across the university to help narrow down exactly what information can help produce the best results.
What are green efforts at schools?
One step a college can take that can both increase its attractiveness to students and help it meet accreditation goals is to make its campus more sustainable. The Princeton Review recently released its annual “Guide to Green Colleges,” which ranks schools’ commitment to environmental responsibility and student health. The list is based on a combination of school-reported data and student opinion, with questions about school infrastructure, student use of public transportation, and academic programming focused on environmental studies, among other factors.
A list like The Princeton Review’s can help colleges zero in on the types of sustainability efforts that matter to students and might help an otherwise torn student decide to attend. The information can also help guide decision-makers toward the data that they might need to better track to help them receive recognition down the road, or simply to meet goals the school sets for itself.
What is the right analytics solution for higher ed?
Many colleges and universities have some kind of technology solution that can help with one of these issues. The best analytics solution is one that can help address all of them. A scalable solution can help with the questions a university needs the answer to immediately, and then it can be adjusted to address other issues that may arise in the future.
The best solutions are also designed to bring together data from disparate sources, a common problem in widespread campuses where different pieces of technology might be used in different buildings. Some colleges can’t use data analytics to its full potential because they can’t get a single version of the truth from different data points coming from different parts of the university. With the right analytics solution, all of the data from everywhere can be brought together to form one trusted source of data. Everyone can be assured the information they are looking at is consistent across the organization, leading to better decisions and a healthier outlook for the university.
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