This study aimed to address the state of data driven decision practices within the Division of Student Affairs at South County College. Framed by an exploratory qualitative case study, this project conducted semi-structured interviews of directors of student affairs and a document analysis of annual reports of the seven departments that constitute…

In today's digital world, higher education institutions collect and use more data than ever. However, institutional silos create barriers for stakeholders who need data for daily operations and strategy. This article presents a vision of a unified, collaborative future for data governance and actionable steps stakeholders can take.

Since 2010, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's (SHEEO) Strong Foundations survey has reported on the evolution and value of postsecondary student unit record systems (PSURSs) by illuminating the condition of state postsecondary data in the U.S. In the "Strong Foundations 2023" survey, which was administered from…

Higher education instructors constantly rely on educational data to assess and evaluate the behavior of their students and to make informed decisions such as which content to focus on and how to best engage the students with it. Massive open online course (MOOC) platforms may assist in the data-driven instructional process, as they enable access…

The need for data-driven decision-making primarily motivates interest in analysing Big Data in higher education. Although there has been considerable research on the value of Big Data in higher education, its application to address critical issues within the sector is still limited. This systematic review, conducted in December 2021 and…

Research administrators (RA) at institutions of higher education (IHE) provide critical support to faculty throughout the lifecycle of research, which include developing research, applying to funding opportunities, managing awards through closeout, and maintaining compliance. Fulfilling these tasks requires well-developed RA processes and clear…

Black teachers (BTs) are significantly underrepresented in the US teaching profession, yet there is still little focus on how to best hire, support, and retain them. This collaborative autoethnography documents our work in an urban characteristic school district and university in the southeastern US and how we leveraged our interpersonal and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the use of institutional assessment in support of student outcomes at four-year public institutions of higher education. This study focused on small institutions, defined as having enrollment below that of the median value, across the nation. An electronic survey was sent to chief…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how experienced elementary educators in Central Montana described their use of new knowledge from research evidence to inform their teaching practice. Data sources included 15 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups. The Cognitive Affective Model of Conceptual Change was…

Higher Education Institutions in England are an integral part of the government's social mobility strategy. Contextualisation of undergraduate admissions decisions has emerged as a key tool towards progressing social mobility objectives. The present paper builds on our previous 2013 research by describing findings from 15 qualitative interviews…

Creating a welcoming community is key for an academic environment to thrive. This approach includes accurately representing community members' identities to understand their experiences, and establishing procedures for recording and utilizing individuals' names to support their ability to express their identities freely and without fear of…

To analyze educational outcomes or evaluate operations, academic institutions need to produce high-quality data. Unfortunately, many institutions do not have accurate, timely, and useful data and information despite investments to manage technology. Furthermore, data management issues in education, including access, quality, and ownership, inhibit…

In 2022, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) identified a range of schools at which the University Entrance (UE) attainment of akonga Maori and Pacific students was at least 10% higher than their decile (now EQI) band average. In 2023, NZQA asked Rangahau Matauranga o Aotearoa NZCER to work with six of these higher UE attainment…

There is a significant amount of data available about students and their learning activities in many educational systems today. However, these datasets are frequently spread across several different digital services, making it challenging to use them strategically. In addition, there are no established standards for collecting, processing,…

The effective use of data plays a critical role throughout the policy process -- from accurately capturing populations being served to monitoring and measuring implementation and allocation of resources. In order for data to be used in a manner that supports evidence-based decision-making there is a need for education leaders and policymakers to…