Dive Brief:
- Some colleges are making institutional data on retention and performance available to faculty and staff.
- Self-service analytical data, which used to take months to cultivate, can now be accessed in a matter of hours or minutes.
- Transparency in campus data allows for greater stakeholder engagement and enhanced visualization of how spending correlates with campus output.
Dive Insight:
Many college leaders consider big data and analytics to be a method of determining performance, but it can also be an essential part of building stronger shared governance with boards and faculty groups. When controversial decisions must be made, data-driven culture allows for multiple groups with multiple interests to be on the same page.
When it comes to finance, streamlining operations or academic service plans, or student development strategies, data will prove to be the foundation of any institution’s strategic plan being measured for impact. Without multi-tiered levels of data, it will be difficult for any leader to make a case about campus performance to internal, or external stakeholders.