Unified Data Analytics Solution

Charge

COCC has more than nine databases by which it tracks student information and other data needed to make key decisions. To meet many of the College’s needs, staff must create manual workaround solutions to extract data from these multiple sources. A “unified data source” serves as an electronic tool to bring this data together under one program (a “warehouse”), thereby making data more accessible and better supporting college-wide data needs. Anticipated work group start date: Dec 2023.  This may adjust depending on year one activities and funding.

Unified Data Analytics Solution (UDAS) Background:

There is powerful evidence that data analytics can help higher education advance institutional goals, improve quality and efficiency, enhance teaching and learning and strengthen student outcomes (Pierce, 2020; Wong, 2021). Research indicates that the successful use of data helps community colleges, in particular, identify and address institutional factors that lead to academic engagement and pathway completion (Carmean, et al, 2021). COCC recognizes the imperative to engage in high quality data collection and analysis but has been unable to adequately fund the necessary resources and infrastructure to do this work well. At the same time, it has several processes and systems in place that are foundational to a robust, college wide data collection and analysis approach. The College has reached a point in which a more formal, systematic data collection and analysis process is necessary to address improved student success outcomes, especially as it moves to launch its Guided Pathways plan. Current challenges related to data collection and analysis include: 1) the College’s Institutional Effectiveness team works manually with eight siloed data systems, a time-consuming effort for even the most basic of data requests; 2) the lack of a central repository for large data sets residing in department folders, posing security and accessibility issues; and 3) the “transactional” nature of many data systems which does not easily lead itself to longitudinal analysis. To address these and other related concerns, COCC staff recommended the College move towards a “unified data analytics” solution, often referred to as a data warehouse. Like other activities in this proposal, the College lacks the fiscal resources and internal expertise to do so. Without this investment, COCC will continue to be challenged to use data to address its student enrollment, retention and persistence needs (Reinitz, et al, 2022).

References/Resources:

Association for Institutional Research, EDUCAUSE, National Association of College and University Business Officers. (2022). The joint statement on analytics. Retrieved on May 9, 2023 from https://changewithanalytics.com/statement/.

Carmean, C., Kil, D., Baer, L. Educause. (2021). Why data matter for student success in a post-pandemic world. Retrieved on May 13, 2023 from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/8/why-data-matters-for-student-success-in-a-post-pandemic-world.

Pierce, D. (2020) ECampus News. How predictive analytics helps improve student enrollment and retention.  Retrieved on April 21, 2023 from https://www.ecampusnews.com/it-leadership/2020/12/17/how-predictive-analytics-helps-improve-student-enrollment-and-retention/

Reinitz, B., McCormac, M., Reeves, J., Robert, J., & Arbino, N. (2022). Educause. 2022 EDUCASE horizon report: Data and analytics edition. Retrieved May 9, 2023 from https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2022/7/2022hrdataandanalytics.pdf?la=en&hash=9FA4BFE5CDA22F19AEB4F7B46F8F1AAC6206BE3F

Swaak, T. (2022). PBS.org. How higher ed is trying to improve student performance with data. Retrieved on May 8, 2023 from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/how-higher-ed-is-trying-to-improve-student-performance-with-data

Wong, W. (2021). EdTech Magazine. Higher education turns to data analytics to bolster Student Success. Retrieved April 21, 2023, from https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2021/10/higher-education-turns-data-analytics-bolster-student-success