Campus leaders are continuously faced with decisions surrounding program development, demographics, student support, and more. By using technology to pull metrics about a graduating class, higher education institutions can leverage data to improve decision-making and institutional advancement. Data can also help officials understand the makeup of a graduating class, which is often needed to secure funding.
The embedded analytics in a cloud-based student information system enable organizations to analyze student patterns and tendencies and to spot trends from past academic periods. Institutions can use these insights to look ahead and determine the resources required to meet student need and demand. For example, if trends in graduation rates show that a shortage in availability of a calculus class kept 50 students from advancing, they can add courses. Ensuring future students are matched with the right courses at the right time will create a smooth pathway to graduation, employment, and other academic objectives.
While the pressure for increased accountability can seem daunting for higher education institutions, having the right systems in place can provide a win-win solution for campus leaders as well as students. By using data-based insights to create personalized and integrated experiences for students and other stakeholders—including advisers and professors—institutions can positively impact each student’s success and improve its own, too.