Full Description
Co-published with and In this era of "Big Data," institutions of higher education are challenged to make the most of the information they have to improve student learning outcomes, close equity gaps, keep costs down, and address the economic needs of the communities they serve at the local, regional, and national levels. This book helps readers understand and respond to this "analytics revolution," examining the evolving dynamics of the institutional research (IR) function, and the many audiences that institutional researchers need to serve.Internally, there is a growing need among senior leaders, administrators, faculty, advisors, and staff for decision analytics that help craft better resource strategies and bring greater efficiencies and return-on-investment for students and families. Externally, state legislators, the federal government, and philanthropies demand more forecasting and more evidence than ever before. These demands require new and creative responses, as they are added to previous demands, rather than replacing them, nor do they come with additional resources to produce the analysis to make data into actionable improvements. Thus the IR function must become that of teacher, ensuring that data and analyses are accurate, timely, accessible, and compelling, whether produced by an IR office or some other source. Despite formidable challenges, IR functions have begun to leverage big data and unlock the power of predictive tools and techniques, contributing to improved student outcomes.
Contents
Foreword by Randy L. Swing Preface by Jonathan S. Gagliardi, Amelia Parnell, and Julia Carpenter-Hubin Acknowledgements 1. The Analytics Revolution in Higher Education—Jonathan S. Gagliardi 2. Higher Education Decision Support. Building Capacity, Adding Value—Daniel R. Cohen-Vogel 3. Cultural and Organizational Structures and Functions of Institutional Research—Julia Carpenter-Hubin and Jason Sullivan 4. Data Analytics for Student Success. Elaborate Profusion of Institutional Research into Student Affairs—Amelia Parnell 5. The IT-IR Nexus. Three Essentials for Driving Institutional Change Through Data and Analytics—Timothy M. Chester 6. Pursuit of Analytics and the Challenge of Organizational Change Management for Institutional Research—Angela Y. Baldasare 7. Enrollment to Career. Dynamics of Education and the Workforce—Stephanie Bond-Huie 8. State System Research. Increasing Products, Data, Roles, and Stakeholders—Angela Bell 9. Moving from Data to Action. Changing Institutional Culture and Behavior—Desdemona Cardoza and Jeff Gold 10. New and Emerging Frameworks for Decision Analytics. A Data Governance Perspective—Ronald L. Huesman and Steve A. Gillard 11. Examining How the Analtics Revolution Matters to Higher Education Policy Makers. Data Analytics, Systemness, and Enabling Student Success—Jason E. Lane 12. Evolving from Reflective to Predictive. Montgomery Community College and Analytics—Celeste M. Schwartz, Kent Phillipe, David Kowalski, and Angela Polec 13. Unpacking the Messiness of Harnessing the Analytics Revolution—Jonathan S. Gagliardi Editors and Contributors Index
