Melinda Roy

Melinda has over a decade of professional experience in data analysis and research across higher education, public service, libraries, and healthcare sectors. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Non-Fiction from University of King's College.

What Impact Does Course Compaction Have on Student Success?

We’ve been revisiting what we mean by course compaction, how to measure it, and evaluate whether courses are too compacted or not enough, and what student-success-sponsoring course compaction looks like.

Making Reports Memorable: New Research on Statistics and Stories

Data storytellers shouldn’t shy away from repeating themselves. It’s how people learn and remember important concepts, theories, and facts. Story is at the root of how cultural and organizational change happens.

Redefining Accessibility in Higher Education: Embracing the Social Model of Disability

For post-secondary institutions, many retention initiatives focus on identifying students at-risk for attrition but retention planning for students with disabilities must include a culture that supports accessible design from tools and pedagogy, to service and systems design.

Building a Data Governance Team from Within: Matching Data Governance Roles to Existing Employees

Data governance is already happening at your institution, whether or not you have an explicit framework. As Bob Seiner, non-invasive data governance expert puts it, your “Data stewards are already in the building,” you just need to know where.

Data Literacy & Governance for Leaders, Strategic Planners, Operations and Financial Managers

In higher education, leadership and management steer their institutions toward success. However, there are data literacy skills that can get overlooked by those in leadership, strategic planning, operations, and finance roles.

Data Governance in Higher Ed: Empowering IT Professionals

Every person on campus, from employees, leaders, and students, will interact with the work produced by IT professionals. IT employees can be a crucial asset in data governance adoption, promotion, and management.

Data Governance in Higher Education: Empowering Admissions and Financial Aid Officers

Good data governance practices, or the lack thereof, can impact a student's earliest impressions of an institution, as they interact with Admissions and Financial Aid Officers. These professionals are central to shaping student experiences and ensuring institutional success.

Enhancing Data Literacy in Higher Education: Data Entry, Records, and Registrar Teams

Data entry professionals are often the first to spot issues in procedures, identify policy gaps, or flag system failures. Their deep knowledge of front-end operations is invaluable for data governance.

Data Governance Readiness: Addressing Overlooked Data Literacy Skills in Higher Education Roles

In preparing for a formal data governance program, an institution should be aware of and address these gaps through a basic data literacy training program for all employees. A data literate organizational culture is key to the success of a data governance program.

Cultivating Advising Success: A Strategic Approach to the Advising Review

Taking the time to do an advising review is key to both determining how much of a restructure is necessary, and to determine what kind of model to restructure to.