Today in higher education, savvy users expect to have the information they need to make data-informed decisions at their fingertips. As such, leaders in institutional research (IR) are under pressure to provide these users with accurate data, reports and analyses. IR has been tasked with transforming data and reports in
When a busy university analytics team is tasked with creating a new, interactive way to share data with dozens of different constituents, data visualization from SAS is the obvious answer. The University of Idaho’s office of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation is the source for comprehensive information, analyses and university statistics.
What do you get when you combine analytics, aviation and the Internet of Things? A learning experience that leaves everyone flying high! At Data on the Fly, 25 area high school students had the opportunity to learn how technology has changed – and continues to change – the aviation industry.
Leaders in the education industry understand that when people at all levels have timely access to the right data and reports, they can generate trusted knowledge and insights that help transform programs, curriculums, student outcomes and more. That's how the industry's leaders deliver desired results faster to further student success.
When senior leaders at the University of Louisville (UofL) approached Vice Provost Bob Goldstein in early April 2016 with a request for a fully functioning data visualization platform by start of the 2016 fall semester—just four months away—he did not panic. Instead, Goldstein, along with Becky Patterson, Executive Director of
How important is reading to the skills gap? It's crucial. Through third grade, children are learning to read. After that, they read to learn. That is why reading proficiently by the end of third grade is one of the most reliable predictors of future success for children. Students who develop
This predictive analytics post continues a blog series that highlights education leaders sharing successes and challenges of using data to drive school improvement. Sampson County Schools is a small rural school district in southeastern North Carolina. While overall graduation rates in the county were improving, one school wanted to do
As states build systems to evaluate the effectiveness of educator preparation programs, they must first know what “effectiveness” looks like. Are the characteristics of the candidates in the program, such as high school GPA, ACT or SAT score, or other admissions criteria, the most important indicators? What about the curriculum
There are no limitations for what you can accomplish. That’s the message Keith Poston from the Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences imparted to 300 middle and high school students, teachers and parents assembled this week at the museum for the fourth STEM Career Showcase for Students
Last December, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law to ensure opportunity for all students in the United States. As part of this federal legislation, states now have the flexibility to design their own accountability systems following certain parameters outlined in ESSA. These accountability systems include academic and non-academic indicators. By
Recently, I was talking to a director of analytics from a large telecommunications company, and I asked her, “Do you think we have a skills shortage?” She replied, “NO, I think we’re just looking in the wrong place.” I wanted to hear more as this analytics expert may have just
As teachers, we lean into our experience. We trust our judgment about students and our instruction. We trade teaching stories with colleagues. And increasingly, we examine student growth data that illuminates our practice and occasionally suggests we refine our approach to individual students. In the past decade, states and districts
Reporting can reveal last year’s graduation rates or this semester’s completion rates at a local community college. But drilling further into that data to ask why students aren’t graduating or why they aren’t enrolling requires more complex analysis. At Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, college administrators and professors are
When your job involves making decisions that affect thousands of college students, making the right decisions can have a large impact on the future. Giving college administrators easy access to reliable analytics can help improve enrollment and graduation rates – and find answers to complex questions that cut across many
I sometimes feel bad about being born. Not so much the actual event, mind you, just the timing. I was born during what should have been my mother’s last year of college. At many colleges in those days, when a woman got married, she was forced to move out of
Not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. At this year’s SAS Global Forum 2016, so many exciting things happened that I have to share some highlights. From the use of analytics in college administration to the teaching of analytics in the classroom, the range of information presented was quite
With the recent changes to federal education policy, I wanted to learn more so I interviewed Emily Baranello, Vice President SAS Education Practice and Susan Gates, SAS Special Advisor on Education. In part 1 of the interview, they were helpful in explaining the new policies, impact, opportunities and challenges for
With the recent changes to federal education policy, I wanted to learn more about those changes and the impacts they'll have on P-12 education across the U.S. So, I decided to interview Emily Baranello, Vice President SAS Education Practice and Susan Gates, SAS Special Advisor on Education. Here's part one
North Carolina has over 300 miles of wide, flat Atlantic beaches as well as the highest mountain in the eastern United States, Mount Mitchell. The variety is impressive for a state that isn't even in the top half of the 50 states by size. One key reason is geometric: North Carolina
How do public higher education institutions get funded? In the past, state funding was tied to enrollment, but now more states are tying funding to institutional performance. State Legislatures want more accountability for money spent on higher education and have turned to performance-based funding (also called outcomes-based funding). As such,
If I were to believe the feedback I get, statisticians are among the most difficult people to work with. What’s more, they’re the only group that should be allowed to work in data analytics. It sounds harsh, but this may explain why big data projects continually fail. Businesses need statisticians who are both
This is my final entry in the Education Meets Big Data blog series. Let’s review what we've covered so far… In my first post, I explained that statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) track student data from preschool through college and workforce across the state. SLDSs can be used to see one
“Back-to-school” is a common theme this time of year, but learning isn’t something that is relegated to a certain point on the calendar or even a particular point in life – it’s a lifelong journey. Whether you are in early education using mobile technology for learning, a student or adult
Will the Internet of Things (IoT) create a web of connected devices that make our lives better or an infinite infestation of annoying devices invading our privacy for no good reason? I don't know. I do know that the answer is going to depend less on the technology and more
In my first blog post in the Education meets Big Data blog series, I explained the need for Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems(SLDS). In the blog post following, I shared an interview with Armistead Sapp, one of the authors of the book, "Implement, Improve and Expand Your Statewide Longitudinal Data System." In this
In my previous blog post, I discussed the benefits of a Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) and shared a SAS book on the subject: Implement, Improve and Expand Your Statewide Longitudinal Data System by Armistead W Sapp III and Jamie McQuiggan. Today, I'm sharing a conversation I had with one of the book’s authors,
Yes, its true. Education has big data and always has. One perfect example? Statewide longitudinal data systems. Every state has one that tracks information on students from preschool until they enter the workforce (so some states call them P-20W). Think about all the schools and all the students across your state, now
Did you know that the education industry is heavily embracing data visualization to run their business? Just like any other industry, leaders in education need to understand their customers (i.e. students). They need to understand how the students are doing, how they're progressing and if intervention is needed to ensure
Everything’s bigger in Texas and that definitely held true at SAS Global Forum 2015. The conference was bigger and busier than ever, especially for the education industry. There were so many amazing presentations and announcements, that you may have missed a few -- here are the highlights. We had a several customer presentations on SAS Visual
SAS University Edition has been available for free download for six months – in that time we’ve seen 50,192,670 PROCs or DATA steps executed globally – that’s almost 4,000 hours duration! Now, we were founded on stats so we thought we’d bring you some of the key metrics we’ve discovered over
