How Advanced Analytics Can Transform Institutions of Higher Learning

Private sector companies across industries have adopted analytics to improve investments, operational efficiencies, and customer experiences with notable success. Advanced analytics has worthwhile applications at institutions of higher learning as well; but few of these universities and similar establishments have adopted advanced analytics in meaningful ways today.

“Many leaders of colleges and universities remain unsure of how to incorporate analytics into their operations and achieve intended outcomes and improvements,” McKinsey reports. But there are “several practical steps education leaders can take to avoid [common pitfalls.” This article explores opportunities for advanced analytics at institutions of higher learning, and how faculty and university leadership can begin their journey towards successful advanced analytics adoption.

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The Introduction of Analytics in Higher Learning

It wasn’t until the late 1990s that analytics began to be used in education for purposes other than research and instruction. While the use of analytics has gradually increased at post-secondary institutions in recent years, a lack of understanding or awareness of analytics remains an obstacle to widespread adoption. According to the Educause Center for Applied Research, most institutions consider analytics only a major priority for some departments, but not the entire institution (41%); an interest, but not a priority (26%); or not a priority or interest due to either a lack of awareness (2%) or intention (4%).

Even so, there are worthwhile applications of analytics at universities that can improve budgeting, the use of resources, faculty productivity, and more. Just a few of the use cases for analytics in higher education include:

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Student Recruitment

Student recruitment is a common area of application among those institutions that use analytics. Institutions want to identify potential students who have the best chance of succeeding in their programs and eventually graduating. Predictive analytics can help identify students who are likely to enroll and complete their education.

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Student Retention

Institutions can use analytics to understand which students are at risk for leaving school and why they might consider leaving. analytics can help identify patterns in student behavior that may lead to them dropping out so interventions can be put into place to help keep those students on track.

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Student Experiences

Employing analytics can help educators and administrators improve the educational experience for students as well. For example, analytics can be used to understand how students are using technology in the classroom so that educators can adjust teaching methods based on that data.

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Faculty Experience & Management

Faculty productivity is another important area where analytics can help. Analytics can help identify professors who are teaching more classes than they should, or who have a high number of students dropping out of their classes. Analytics can also help identify which professors are receiving the best ratings from their students, and why.

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Budget Management

In terms of budget management, analytics can help institutions understand how much revenue they are bringing in and where that money is being spent. Institutions can use analytics to optimize budgeting by identifying areas where resources can be allocated more efficiently. They can identify areas where costs could be reduced without negatively impacting the quality of education or student experience as well.

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Facility &Resource Management

Resources and facilities are among the costliest budget items at universities. Analytics can help identify which buildings are being used the most and which departments have the highest or lowest occupancy rates. Institutions can monitor energy usage on campus and make projections along with appropriate recommendations for adjustments, improving their use of these resources.

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Getting Started with Advanced Analytics in Higher Education

The use of analytics at universities and similar institutions is still in its early stages, but there are more opportunities today for institutions to adopt and implement analytics successfully. Faculty and university leadership should work together to identify these areas and then develop a plan for how analytics can be successfully adopted in those areas.

1.Identifying Applications and Use Cases

In beginning their analytics journey, institutions must identify the areas where analytics can have the most impact. The applications listed above are a good starting point, but they should not be seen as an exhaustive list. Professional partners and advisors can advise institutions, optimize costs, and ensure implementations are successfully for institutions and their staff as well.

2. Preparing IT Staff for Analytics Implementation

An institution’s IT staff must be prepared to support their analytics initiatives. This means they need to be familiar with the analytics tools and software that will be used as well as the data that will be analyzed. They also need to understand how analytics can be integrated into the existing systems and infrastructure.

3. Secure the Right Technical and Strategic Support

Institutions of higher learning often lack the IT staff resources to apply and manage advanced analytics alone. Fortunately, and much like many private sector organizations, institutions can turn to third-party specialists to help with data entry, data cleaning, and other data-related tasks. Internal IT teams can work with third-party analytics teams to develop reports and dashboards that can be used easily by faculty and staff as result.

No matter the case, IT staff must be prepared for a change in how they operate. analytics requires access to data from a variety of sources, and this data must be cleansed and prepared for analysis. The IT staff will need to be able to work with the analytics team to get the data they need in a format that is ready for analysis.

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Analytics Transformation in Higher Learning Begins

The use of analytics at universities and similar institutions is still in its early stages. Even so, advanced analytics offer a wealth of opportunities for post-secondary institutions looking for support in achieving their core goals—in finance, student and faculty outcomes, and the optimized use of campus resources.

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Partner with Uvation as You Consider Analytics for Your Institution

The consultants at Uvation can help you identify analytics use cases and adopt analytics successfully at your institution. Start a conversation with an analytics expert and discover the possibilities today