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institutional research

The Hidden Risk of Institutional Knowledge

At many universities, critical data doesn’t live in systems. It lives in people. When the only person who understands a dataset leaves the institution, the impact is rarely immediate, but it is almost always significant.

7 Practices Research & Data Analysts Can Learn from DIY-ers

Research and data analysts in higher education, like many public sectors, find themselves doing a lot with a little. Just like tinkerers and DIY-ers you call up about a problem with your sink, analysts are problem-solvers in the student information and processing neighborhoods of their institutions.

Own Your Decision-Making Flaws: Tips for SEM Leaders

Most leadership teams and planning committees are made up of the core data users. But leaders may not understand their own decision-making habits and are unable to describe their data needs. Leaders are better able to contribute to data strategy discussions when they know the underlying issues.

The Importance of Data Literacy Service Planning in Institutional Research

Without a strategic service approach for information or institutional research offices, users are left to wander through a vast collection of data in hopes of finding the right metric, at the right aggregation level.

Why the Academic Library is your Friend as an Institutional Researcher

While conferences offered idea generation and excitement for the institutional research office, regular reading kept me energized about my work. Giving analysts time to read and collect ideas is an easy retention strategy.

Tips for Moving to Near-Real-Time Data in Higher Education

Learning to work with daily or real-time data feels like learning to drink from a firehose. As more universities and colleges move to having near-real-time data, we offer these helpful tips.

5 Reasons to Start Your Career as an Enrolment Services Data Professional

Often when we think of data professionals in higher education, we think of institutional research and analysis, and IT. Here I’ll talk about why starting my career as an enrolment services analyst helped me hone my data craft.

The Data Only Updates 3x Per Year?

Snapshots can also be helpful with enrolment forecasting – in particular, many users I speak to don’t want their forecast to change daily, instead every second week or even every month.

When is a New Scenario a New Scenario?

Scenario versions are based on user-controlled parameters, automatically updated parameters, and changes in your data model. Tracking the outputs of your scenarios allows you to go back and reflect on the results, seeing where there are opportunities for improvement.

The Importance of Reflection in Enrolment Forecasting

You’re finished enrolment forecasting for the cycle. The targets you helped developed made it through Senate, and you can breathe a sigh of relief. Right…?