Digital transformation involves much more than just technology. It is more about adopting new ways of working and delivering services and the higher education market is finding itself right in the middle of it.
Today, higher education institutions must transform digitally if they are to succeed in the future. And universities and colleges can benefit tremendously from one key aspect of digital transformation: the ability to leverage data for actionable insights “Digital (core) services, digitally skilled educators and students, decisions that consider available evidence are some of the characteristics of a digitally transformed higher education,” according to a report from the University of Novi Sad.
Businesses of all types are taking advantage of the mountains of structured and unstructured data by using analytics to gain insights and make informed decisions. Higher education institutions can similarly differentiate their business model by using internal and external data for a variety of purposes: to streamline operations, improve the student experience, detect underlying performance patterns, track admissions, optimize enrollment, manage grants and enhance academic advisement, for example.
Illustrating the feasibility and scope of analytics adoption in higher education, The University of Novi Sad paper outlines three areas where universities and colleges can implement pilot projects:
- Admissions tracking. Every higher education institution wants to recruit and retain the best students. Data and analytics can help them know the best ways and places to conduct outreach and the students they should offer scholarships by helping them get a deep understanding of the types of students applying to their school and the ones who will actually enroll and succeed. Data can help universities plan and recruit by answering questions around how prospective students and parents interact with web channels, for instance. The university can collect data on web visitors, applicants and enrollees and give the institution an idea of what different people look for so they can gear their marketing strategy to the right individuals.
- Enrollment optimization. University administrators and staff must plan course sections for thousands of students each year, scheduling classrooms for each class. At the same time, they need to monitor course enrollment to determine if courses should be repeated, dropped or offered periodically to meet student interests and needs. Both have to be done proactively. Analytics solutions can help administrators make sense of the data on student course preferences and help align academic programs with general university goals. Data and analytics can help administrators and professors understand course popularity and use insights to help develop more specialized programs that reflect student interest.
- Academic advising. Optimal academic advising helps improve student outcomes – but colleges and universities across the U.S. say there are approximately 300 students for each full-time advisor in four-year public institutions, according to a NACADA National Survey of Academic Advising. Academic advising analytics can help track and improve outcomes from matriculation to post-graduation using complex data collected by learning management and student information systems that can be translated into real-time recommendations. The insights from academic advising analytics can help inform and shape advisors’ decisions and guidance.