LoudCloud Systems Blog Data Doesn't Matter

Talk of big data is everywhere. From the modern day business publications like Forbes and McKinsey Quarterly to the halls of the higher education news sources like The Chronicle of Higher Education andeCampus News, everyone is trying to explain what big data is and how organizations can benefit from it. Yet the reality is that data doesn't matter at all, especially in higher education. Institutions of higher learning are overflowing with data. They have abundant data as it relates to enrollment, student information, transcripts, courses, and the list goes on. This data may be important to those managing specific departments or functions within the system, but these individual data points are not actionable at a system level and usually do not lead to student interventions that change the outcomes for student success.The new equation for big data in higher education is simple:Actionable Information = Timely Interventions = Better Student OutcomesWatch a video on LoudCloud's Analytics solutionSo, while data doesn't matter, actionable information does. Data, when synthesized and processed, leads to information that can be acted upon at a system level or by an individual or professor in a timely manner.Take for example, a student who has not shown up for multiple classes over a three-week period. Previously, the student had the top grade - As - in all classes. Now, the student has all Cs. Additionally, the same student used to spend hours on digital resources but has not logged in for two weeks. Academic performance, coupled with the student's digital footprint, reveals an opportunity to provide greater support and focus for this student that may lead to a better outcome.Better outcomes, such as increased student retention and degree completion, are top of mind in higher education today.The Lumina Foundation, the nation's largest private foundation focused solely on increasing Americans' success in higher education, has what it calls Goal 2025. They want to ensure that 60 percent of Americans hold a college degree, certificate or other high-quality postsecondary credential by the end of that year. Issues that the Foundation has cited as critical to this goal are an acceleration rate at which overall attainment increases and the gaps in postsecondary attainment among various segments of the population closes.Better outcomes are also critical for institutions.At a recent "Business of Higher Ed" panel discussion at the Arizona State University+GSV Summit, Bridget Burns, Executive Director with the University Innovation Alliance said it best. "Institutions that double down on student success are doing yeoman's work ... Getting students to completion is actually a sustainability strategy."Data Doesn't Matter ... Add TwoTake Georgia State for example. They invested $3 million in predictive analytics. For every 1% increase in retention, they have a $3 million return. As Ms. Burns said, "Investing in student success is the long-term and how institutions will save themselves."Grand Canyon University has identified four predictive learning behaviors that lead to the best student outcomes. They use these factors in an index to provide real time intervention for at risk students. Their predictive analytics modeling tool results in easy-to-read faculty dashboards that enable faster and better interventions.And, that's the key to actionable information - easy-to-read dashboards. As eCampus News pointed out in its story about Grand Canyon University's use of analytics, "... data streams are useless if they cannot be presented in a manner that is meaningful to those that need it, especially if those in need are faculty members who cannot afford to waste their already limited time ..."Yet, there is no magic formula for analytics, which is the premise upon which LoudCloud Systems bases its behavioral analytics platform. Improving student and teacher outcomes are achieved without forcing data conformity. LoudCloud's platform provides individual educators with minimum data that is immediately useful.How can I improve my classroom materials? Check.How do I ensure I am spending time most effectively to help the students most at-risk? Check.How can I learn from the information presented to help with my own self-development? Check.Data is inherently messy. Actionable information allows educators to monitor the educational experience they are delivering, and when applied in a meaningful way, leads to better student outcomes.